Artist Statement:

What does it take to truly know nature? This is one of the questions currently driving my creative practice. The more time we spend in nature, the more she shows us. We must patiently cultivate trust, allow nature to know us and trust our intentions so that we may know her. There is no point of arrival, just deeper knowing and appreciation. And if nature is kind enough to show us her wonder and grant us her trust, what are we to do with it? Protect her, fight for her, be willing to find discomfort in confronting our own faults and, also, share her. This is the purpose of my art, to share deep, meaningful moments with nature, and to revisit them often.

As my relationship with my process and subject matter deepens, my art continues to evolve. My work is not about what we see but, rather, what we feel when we are out immersed in nature. That feeling is as transient and dynamic as nature itself. To capture this, I include energetic scribbles and brushstrokes as well as deep contrast balanced by the calm of negative space. I build up my work in layers of marks, often laid down quickly in between long pauses; pauses to step back and squint or pauses to sit with a painting and listen to what it has to say for days or often weeks before continuing. The resulting work ranges from impressionistic landscapes to nature-inspired abstraction intended to inspire a connection to the landscape and our important role in nurturing it.

Bio:

Melanie Fenton is a painter based in Kelowna, British Columbia. She creates oil and mixed media paintings that convey a sense of resilience and hope inspired by the wild world around us. Melanie grew up in Michigan and has been creating art since she could hold a paintbrush and later received formal lessons in oil and acrylic painting. Following her curiosities about our natural world, she gained her Bachelor’s of Science in Evolutionary Biology and her Masters in Anthropology. Through scholarly pursuits she had the opportunity to hone her observational skills by living and studying wild things all over the world. Choosing to leave academia in 2020, Melanie began a journey, at last, to combine her love of science and all things wild with her love of art. Aiming to capture the emotion of a moment with nature, Melanie’s work ranges from impressionistic landscapes to nature-inspired abstraction. Her work can be found in private collections across Canada and the United States. When not painting or working her other job as a research coordinator at UBC, Melanie enjoys hiking with her family and running.

Find My Art:

Much of my art is available for purchase right here on my website, including originals and prints, with shipping to Canada and the USA.

Galleries and Exhibitions:

None currently. Sign up to my email newsletter below for regular updates.

Stockists and Licensing:

I have partnered with The Crafted Prints to offer prints on fine art paper through their website. Printing and distribution are all handled by this incredible family-owned business.

If you are interested in licensing or stocking my prints or notecards in your storefront, let’s chat!

This space will be updated seasonally with a schedule of upcoming exhibitions and events, but the best way to stay in the loop is always my email newsletter. Sign up using the form below!

Did you hear?

My 2022 exhibition with Aimee Baerg, North To South: A Journey Through the Okanagan was featured in the Kelowna Daily Courier!

My work was featured in Opus’s Beyond Boundaries Virtual Gallery in 2021! I am so honoured to have been chosen to be featured alongside other talented Canadian artists who are pushing themselves beyond their creative limits in some way.