Absolutely, so I am Melanee Necole, soon to be 29 and I live in Atlanta, GA.  I most enjoy creating Acrylics, and provide services such as live painting, mural installation, custom portraits, and digital illustration for commercial and personal use. I have also illustrated 3 children’s books so far.   I’ve been creative since childhood and was blessed with a mother who saw my talent and enrolled me at N.B Cook which is an elementary school of the arts in Pensacola, FL.   Attending N.B. Cook certainly set the course for my “out of the box” thinking, and by the time I reached high school I was involved in literally every creative elective you could think of, lol.  I explored different sectors of the “arts” such as painting, ceramics, musical theater, special fx makeup, and even jewelry making to name a few. One of my highlights in my high school career was earning the lead in the classic play , “Little Shop of Horrors”.  I excelled in each area but did not have the foresight to see any of these outlets as a career until I eventually started sharing my work through social media.

Once I really began to take my business seriously, I spent a lot of time going to “YouTube University” to develop my skills, and learn from and with other artists.   I eventually found my style through testing many mediums and techniques. As I discovered, my staple is vibrant colors, textures and imagery that tells a love story.  I’ve been told that my art has a portrait-like feel, but one of my favorite aspects about my work is that from afar it may look like a super detailed picture but up close, my brush strokes leave intentional imperfections, just like real life.  There is beauty in the “imperfect”.

The inspiration behind my paintings come from personal life experiences and spending time with God. Many of my muses depict black culture from the lense of experiencing this world as a black woman.  The ultimate goal is to create work which feels like a “breath of fresh air”, a release, tranquility, love, faith, and empowerment.  I always seek to highlight the beautiful imperfections of life, just like my brushstrokes. Essentially, I am collaborating with the “Great Creator” and as I am working on a piece he is also doing a work in me.

To honor this collaboration, I weave a scripture into each painting that was spoken to me while painting. Elements of nature and jewelry are also a consistent symbol in my work to signify being adorned. When I think about what art is, I explain it as an entryway to a portal inside a person’s mind, and every viewer can leave with a different perspective. The beauty of creating is that it’s truly different for everyone; knowing this gives way to the freedom I feel when I paint and my hope is to leave a message that will inspire all who see my work.

Currently, I am working on a series called “Late Bloomers” which will serve as a reminder that one cannot miss what God has for them. Each painting and piece of art will illuminate different areas where a person may feel that they are a “Late Bloomer” in life.  This series of art will literally paint a picture on how one can push through this process through the lense of nature and its seasons, while understanding there is purpose in every season. This series is very personal to me because the idea was planted when I first started my business. I wrote down the words, and ideas and planned on creating right away, but little did I know that God was going to walk me through my own process before I could put it on canvas. If you would like to follow along with this series you can connect with me on Instagram @melaneenecole.