Photo by Brittne Lunniss
MELANIE BIEHLE CREATES ATMOSPHERIC ABSTRACT PAINTINGS INSPIRED BY TRAVEL AND PLACE.
The artist grew up in rural Louisiana and has lived on the west coast for most of her adult life. She currently works in her Seattle studio and lives just outside of the city with her husband, son, and pets.
Melanie became a painter in her 40s, after becoming a writer, a mother, and an interior and lifestyle photographer. Before that, she lived and worked in Los Angeles as a film marketer and optioned her romantic comedy screenplay.
The artist received a Master’s degree in psychology and later studied abstract painting and composition at Gage Academy of Art in Seattle. Melanie lists artists Richard Diebenkorn, Lee Krasner, and Joan Mitchell as major inspirations.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
I want my art to feel like I feel when I’m on vacation.
Spacious. Curious. Relaxed. Inspired.
I create abstract paintings that are atmospheric expressions of place. The spirit of discovery, leisure, space, and time connects us, even when we are inspired by different locales.
While my paintings may have some basis in reality, they’re almost never focused on one specific location. Instead, they are an amalgam of energy, nature, architecture, color palettes, topographical aerial points-of-view, and memories of the places that have become part of me.
When I create my paintings I vacillate between using oil and acrylic. The texture paste that I often use in my acrylic paintings allows me to express sensations I feel when I’m walking barefoot in the sand, calmed by ocean waves, and find a rough beach rock or beautiful shell whose patterns make me stop and study it. I sometimes use broken shells or rugged stones as tools to help create the work that they inspire, scratching or digging through layers of paint to form lines or textures.
I also regularly express my creative vision in two distinct ways, using both hard and soft edges. As an artist, I’ve struggled with this difference in my work — we are often taught to stick with one “style”. I’ve learned to embrace this part of my artistic journey and see that these differences are to be celebrated and revered. After all, life and travel are made up of hard and soft edges.
I feel most at home, relaxed, and connected in or near the ocean and I spend as much time as possible on the Puget Sound beaches where I live. I’m grateful to be surrounded by so much natural inspiration.
In addition to the Pacific Northwest and the places that I travel to, I often revisit the feeling of Southern California in my work. I’ve been drawn to Los Angeles since I was a teenager, and I’ve had the opportunity to live there on two separate occasions. The light, palm trees, succulents, sage green and earthy desert colors, mid-century modern and Spanish style architecture, and the Pacific Ocean — these are some of the things that swirl together and allow me to create “my California”.
EXHIBITIONS + PROJECTS
CURRENT
October – December 31, 2024 | Featured Artist, Sorelle Gallery, Westport, CT
PREVIOUS
August 5 – September 30, 2024 | Featured Artist West Seattle Art Walk, Capers, Seattle, WA
June 2024 | The Monochromatic Collection with Casa di LaValle
December 14, 2023 | West Seattle Art Walk The Building, Seattle, WA
October 2023 | Featured Artist Casa di LaValle, Seattle, WA
August – September 2023 | Featured Artist Seattle Downtown Art Walk, Hotel Monaco, Seattle, WA
April 2023 | Abstract Expressionism Group Show The Art Spirit Gallery, Coeur d’Alene, ID
September – October, 2022 | Featured Artist Casa di LaValle, Seattle, WA
November – December 2020 | Featured Artist Casa di LaValle, Seattle, WA
March – September 2020 | Featured Artist Atelier Drome, Seattle, WA
January – July 2020 | Metamorphosis: Half-Century, solo show CURA, Seattle, WA
July – October 2019 | group show Phyllis Lamphere Gallery, Washington State Convention Center, Seattle, WA
February – July 2019 | Gray Sky Gallery Member Artist, Seattle, WA
May 3, 2018 | What Lies Beneath solo show Jackson St. Studio, Seattle, WA
April 28-29, 2018 | Bemis Arts Spring 2018 juried group show, Seattle, WA
November 2017 | Rain City, video art installation in collaboration with Digital Kitchen and Urban Renaissance Group for Second & Seneca building lobby, Seattle, WA
November 2017 | View From the Top – Aerial Views of Imaginary Landscapes, solo show at Cherry Street Public House, Seattle, WA
September 2017 | Endless Summer solo show, Portage Bay Goods, Seattle, WA
July 1-15, 2017 | Fireworks, video art installation in collaboration with Digital Kitchen and Urban Renaissance Group for Second & Seneca building lobby, Seattle, WA
March – September 2017 | Creating Your Own Path Artist Residency
October 13, 2016 | Love Circus – An Art Show Experience, featured artist, Seattle, WA
June – August 2016 | Abstract Cityscapes, solo show, Click!, Seattle, WA
June 2016 | Group Invitational Show at BallardWorks, Seattle, WA
December 2015 | Gage Academy of Art Small Works, group show, Seattle, WA
April 2014 | Mood Boards: Exploring Color and Emotion, solo show, Velouria, Seattle, WA
PARTNERSHIPS/COMMISSIONS
Seattle Art Source
Four Hands Furniture
LOOK Walls + Interiors
Kami Gray Interiors
Grand Image
Indiewalls
Kevin Barry Art Advisory
Blueground Worldwide Apartments
Civic Hotel Seattle
Digital Kitchen
Paper Epiphanies
SELECT RETAIL
Anthropologie
Burke Decor
Casa di LaValle
High Fashion Home
Perigold
Scout & Nimble
Shoppe Amber Interiors
Wayfair
West Elm
Williams Sonoma
CLIENT REVIEWS
I have been a longtime follower of Melanie on Instagram. When she posted an image of one of her latest original works at the time, I reached out to her and made arrangements to purchase the painting. Her paintings are gorgeous, and this piece just called to me. She shipped it all the way across the country to me in Florida, and it arrived in perfect condition as it had been packed with great care. The painting hangs in a prominent spot in my living room and it remains one of my favorite purchases for my home.