We were lucky to catch up with Melanie Marshall recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Melanie, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

As a young artist I knew of only one sculptor and his name is Michelangelo, and so I would go to the library and check out books of his artwork and pour over the images. Then one day when I was 18 I was out and discovered a small school of sculpture in my very own town. I walked right in without hesitation, and they offered me a job as a model. The arrangement was every session I modeled for, I would receive 2 sessions to work on sculpture. So began my apprenticeship with Lynn Forbes, which lasted 6 years. Up until this point I was (for the most part) a self-taught painter and had been in community college for fine art for about a year. I quickly dropped college and focused on creating sculpture.
After doing this for some time and working odd jobs to get by I decided I wanted only to do work I found fulfilling for a living. During the job search I applied for a job as an Interior Fine Artist for Albert&Holmes, I got the job and happily am still working for them today. This job entails producing highest quality European inspired artwork for interior designers in upscale homes, painting walls, furniture and canvasses.
Lynn Forbes taught me passion, understanding form, and better how to see beauty. Albert&Holmes took all that I learned over the years and with cunning, sharpened those skills into an artist that stands confidently knowing what it takes to carve my place in this world.
Knowing what I know now I can say that all the lessons I have learned as an artist came to me at the right time. Someone could have handed me all the tools early on, but I would not have know what to do with them. We only see and achieve what we are ready to.
The skills I have found most useful to me (that I am still working on mind you) are my eye of course, and not to be blinded by my feelings. I have learned not to treat all things like they are precious. Just get the work done, if you allow yourself to be overly attached you will find yourself noodling or unable to adapt to the desires of your client.
The greatest obstacle in the way of learning more I have found, as in all things, is the ego. My ego has stood in the way of my greatest work, it will also keep you from getting work. You get your ego caught up and only want to create what you like, well that is great and all unless you ever want to get paid.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Melanie Marshall, I am a 27 year old female sculptor from San Diego. I have been a sculptor for 9 years now and have taken fine art very seriously since I was a teenager.

I have always loved art, but as a kid didn’t know much about it only how it made me feel and the lasting impressions certain works of art left in my mind. There are a few works I can think of in particular that had this affect, one being Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Lady with an Ermine.” I did not know the name of the painting, let alone who painted it but, I remember seeing her image in a book in the library at age 13 and that wonder never left me. I was so intensely curious about her pose and her hand and what mind could portray anyone in such a way. At the time I first saw this painting I had no idea how old it was or that it was from the Renaissance, I did however understand that it was very old and that the artist had reached my eye and my mind and shared with me their own wonder and curiosity about humanity. This feeling was shared with me across time and without language, and that is the thing I treasure most about art.
My love for Renaissance and Surrealist art has guided me to where I am today. By day I paint for Albert&Holmes; a small company that produces an incredible body of works large and small. After work I come to my own studio where I primarily create sculpture. Currently my studio is in an old warehouse in downtown Carlsbad, in the back of a store called Village Rock Shop. I share my studio space with a candle maker and a photographer that I am in constant collaboration with. At this location we have bimonthly shows that we invite all our friends and loved ones together to share what we have been working on.
I create sculpture exclusively from terra cotta, I love clay and that is where I stand. My work is typically in classical style, and the subject is primarily the nude form. That being said I am more than capable of working outside of my normal subjects and gladly do so when called to by clients or collaborating artists. I usually have several pieces going at a time, and enjoy most practicing from the live model. I particularly love creating life size portrait busts, and recreating paintings I like into sculpture be it in the round or in relief. Clay is the material, the human form is my medium.
I do like working for myself, but I am extremely pleased to be able to share my practice with others. There is a special kind of satisfaction that comes from working with clients, it is another form of collaboration. They have the vision, they need your hands to bring it to life.
I think my most definitive works are actually my most playful works. I have created a series of bees, every so often I get weary of the serious subjects and like to make sculpture of bees collecting pollen from flowers usually straight out of my head. These works have granted me the most recognition and probably the most joy because I make them to make me feel happy. I think people can sense the joy they were built from and that is why they like them so much.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is sharing my work with others. My work is not completed until someone sees it. And I hope that it leaves people with the same curiosity and love for life in all of its beauty and terror that I feel when creating it.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The best thing you can do to support artists and creatives is to BUY WORK FROM LIVING ARTISTS. Go to art shows, go see what collective thoughts are being passed around by visionaries big or small. I guarantee you will something unexpected. If you like a musician buy their music, don’t just take it for free. You wouldn’t work for free. That is one of the very negative things about social media, sure you get free exposure. But, people can scroll through your life’s work in seconds for free without understanding its significance and then they become accustomed to things being free and begin to expect it.

Contact Info:

• Website: melaniemarshallstudio.com
• Instagram: @melanie.scultora

Image Credits
Photo of Melanie by Bane Visnjic Photos of artworks by Xenia Mateiu