Artist of the Month June 2014

E. Melinda Morrison

Denver, CO

How and when did you start creating art?

I started at a young age drawing and later in my teens started oil painting learning from a local landscape painter. I went on to major in fine art with a strong concentration in life drawting at University of Texas at Tyler. I stepped into the creative side of advertising for 16 years and later into recruiting for technology and digital marketing for 10+ years. I started painting again through courses at the Arts Student League of Denver and made a decision in 2003 to paint full-time.

What media and genres do you work in?

Oils are mostly what I work in but I use acrylics as well for traveling, and when wanting to capture a quick scene in a restaurant. Even though I paint many subjects, some of my favorites are ballet, kitchen scenes, musicians, symphony and café scenes. Much to the chagrin of my collectors, I also paint some western rodeo as I like the movement. Horses were one of the first things I drew incessantly as a child.

Who or what are your influences?

I have studied a lot of masters but probably the past masters who have influenced me the most are the Impressionists like Degas, Renior, and then Nicholai Fechin, Joaquin Sorolla, Ilya Repin, John Singer Sargent and Anders Zorn. Those contemporary artists who have had the most influence on my career through their tutelage and friendship would be Kim English, Ron Hicks, and Dan Beck.

What was your inspiration for Kitchen Frenzy?

I was eating dinner at one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants, Parisi’s, and with the permission of the chef, visited the kitchen. I love all the shapes and values found in a commercial kitchen as well as all of the quick movement, so I wanted to capture the frenzy of preparation. The light is typically what always grabs me in the beginning.

Describe your creative process?

I look for the light dark pattern in a painting first as the value structure holds everything together. I work on my design and composition sometimes doing a smaller study to work out the problems before I dive in (if a large painting). I usually use 5 to 7 values depending on the light in a scene. I lay down my transparent darks and then work in my mid-tones looking for the darkest dark and lightest light, making sure I have keyed my mid-tome values correctly. Before I lay thicker paint, I make sure I am comfortable with my drawing. I focus on the most important aspect of the painting (where I want my focus to go) and move out from there maintaining the shapes, values, temperature, edges, and paying attention to where texture works best in the painting. I am always looking for where the edges should be sharp or soft (depending on where I want my focus). Lastly, after I have finished the painting, I sit with it for a few days and then take a fresh look at it making any adjustments where necessary.

What are you working on currently?

My goal is to really push the temperature and value gradations in my paintings to demonstrate greater movement of light within a painting so I am working large ( larger than 24 x 30) doing more kitchen scenes, ballet and surprisingly rodeo paintings. There is an artistry in working large and I what the challenge of translating my work into larger formats. I have some upcoming shows so I am excited about this series of paintings.

What are your near/long term goals as an artist?

My long term goal is always to grow my skill level and challenge myself artistically. I still feel I have not reached the pinnacle of my ability, so I am always striving and am somewhat driven in growing as an artist. Short term is to teach more this year. I have a few workshops schedule but want to increase that number. I find it takes a great communicator to translate this painting process so people can grasp the principles of what make a great painting. Much of it is teaching people how to see and what to look for in their painting. If I can communicate in a way that helps people see more quickly, I want to do that and offer what I have learned to others.

Where can people view/purchase your work (gallery, website, etc)?

My website is www.emelindamorrison.com. My galleries are Alexandra Stevens Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM; Arts at Denver, Denver, CO; Mary Williams Fine Art Boulder, CO; R.S. Hanna Gallery, Fredericksberg, TX; and Texas Treasures Fine Art, Boene, TX. They are listed on my website.