Storytellers, more commonly described today as artists, are translators for the human experience. Each artist has their favorite platform for dialogue. Whether that platform is physical, written, auditory, or visual, an artist’s story speaks to us; hopefully, these stories inspire us. When thinking of a favorite movie, certain scenes or frames are instantly recalled. Specific characters or actions are vividly brought to mind. This kind of vivid imagery is what I seek to capture in my paintings. The almost unceasing compulsion to paint these worlds I envision comes from somewhere I can’t exactly pinpoint. But I know early in life, rendering images from these internal worlds became my platform for communicating to a highly censored external world.
Similar to a movie scene, through painting I function as the writer, director, and cinematographer working to capture these internal worlds. I make every creative choice related to composition, lighting, sense of motion, color, and depth-of-field. My biggest challenge is that I must convey these images in the limited environment of oil paints and stretched canvas. Despite these limitations, with the right combination of creativity, technical ability, attention to detail, and a touch of good fortune, I just may create something visually inspiring.
Valerie Melancon
Feb 5, 2014