Melody Madden

I’m a visual storyteller The prevailing theme of my work is love ... love of place, love of moments and love of possibilities. My work falls into two categories... both are painting but one is traditional and the other digital. Traditional is self explanatory while digital (new media) is an emerging art form in which traditional techniques (oil, acrylic, watercolor) are applied using a stylus or in my case, an ipencil. My screen is my canvas and my ipencil is my paintbrush. I choose colors from a digital palette and use digital oil painting brushes. Some pieces use my photographs as a backdrop for my painted female figures and other pieces are entirely painted digitally. It depends on which I feel will follow the narrative best...which will allow the story to unfold. My approach to both styles of working are identical. The work is sketched out and then painted. One with a paintbrush, one with an ipencil. The end result ... One painting is on canvas while the other is printed through a 22 step Swiss Q technology process onto 1/4” thick, optically clear acrylic glass and then framed. It results in a work that is glossy, vivid and modern in its presentation. Archiva to 120 years. Both traditional and digital works are one of a kind and originals. I do not do prints of my work. In the end, the medium isn’t as important to me as the story - storytelling is the key, it’s what makes me tick and it’s where I find my place. As an artist, I’m not interested in boxing myself into one style of working but instead, exploring and embracing my creativity through all opportunities that present themselves to me.