We recently connected with Melissa Ellis and have shared our conversation below.

Melissa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I began painting 20 years ago when I was in college at LSU. I always knew I wanted to paint, but was scared to take the leap. Apparently I talked about it a lot, though, so my friends threw me a surprise birthday party and bought me paint, paint brushes, canvases and the easel I still paint on today. They said “you’ve been talking about it, now let’s see you do it”. That was the first step into what was to become my forever art journey.

I began painting as a hobby and just something fun for me to do in my free time. I was working as a legal assistant for a custom homebuilder not knowing what I wanted my forever career path to be. Over time, though, friends and family started to take notice of my work and I began selling to an interior design firm. After getting hired for more and more custom work, I decided I should try to pursue this as a real business.

I was juggling both jobs for several years – a full-time day job and squeezing in my art on my lunch break, nights and weekends. I knew no one in the art world and had absolutely no idea how to build a career out of this, so I just started showing up to events and meeting people. I ended up getting my work in a few galleries and started to show my work everywhere I could – restaurants, pop ups, boutiques, art fairs, etc.

After years and years of doing shows, attending every art event I could find, networking, serving and donating art to non-profits and simply sharing my work wherever I could, my art started to get recognized. Eventually I was able to take my business from a hobby to a part-time job to my forever career.

You can’t become a successful artist overnight. It takes time, hard work, dedication, creativity and a lot of grit. But with passion and perseverance, anything is possible.

Today I work as a Resident Artist at the ALG Collective, a working studio and gallery in the heart of the Dallas Design District. After creating out of my small home studio for 16 years, these last 4 years have been an absolute dream to work in such a beautiful and open studio and gallery space with 3 other talented female artists. I am so grateful for where I am today and the journey that brought me here.

Melissa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a sculptural oil painter that specializes in bold, colorful, 3D abstract works on canvas. I create shapes, patterns, motion and depth by sculpting oil paint with palette knives and then carefully applying it to the canvas. I am inspired by the beauty and limitlessness of nature. From the beautiful flowers, to the coral reefs, to the rocks and bugs on a quiet hike, I look at shapes and colors everywhere I go.

I create large and small-scale paintings and work in every color palette imaginable. I have several signature styles including my starburst series and my embellishment series, both with thick paint jumping off the canvas. I create and show my work at the ALG Collective in the Dallas Design District. Clients can come view and shop my work at the gallery and actually walk into my studio to see where and how I have created all of my pieces. I also offer custom commissions for residential and commercial spaces. I provide a free on-site or virtual consultation to help my clients decide on the perfect size, style and color palette for their space.

I was recently commissioned by Louis Vuitton to create a custom starburst painting for their new store at Legacy West. I have also partnered with At Home for an exclusive line of hand-embellished prints at all 150+ stores across the nation, and am currently preparing my latest collection, “Bijoux”, for an upcoming show at the ALG Collective. In addition to my new work of full coverage sculpted oil paintings, I am doing my first ever collaboration with fine art photographer, Costa Christ. I am adorning his idyllic photographs of Italy and Greece with my 3D sculpted paint.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is to create work that brings joy and happiness into people’s lives. I have been an art lover since I was a little girl and it is something I can’t live without. Art is something that can evoke the deepest of emotions in a person. It can make you laugh, smile, feel loved, elicit a memory or period of time in your life, spark imagination and even cry….sometimes all at the same time. I love being able to create artwork that is bright, happy, warm, welcoming, intriguing, conversation starting, innovative and joyful. And if I can bring even the slightest smile to a person’s face with my art, then I know I have done my job.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I am very passionate about non-profit work. My first job out of college was working for an umbrella arts organization called TACA. It taught me the importance and necessity of giving, both financially, as well as volunteering your time and talents. I have been involved in countless organizations over the years and work hard to spread the word, get others involved and make sure I can help out in every way I can. The most effective way I have been able to help these organizations has been through my art. I have chaired 5 charity art fundraisers over the years, including Thrift Studio benefiting Dwell with Dignity and Studio 212 benefitting West Dallas Community School. I have been on the Curatorial Committee for Art for Advocacy benefitting Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center for the past 5 years, as well. Through these events we ask artists to donate a piece of their artwork to be auctioned off and 100% of the proceeds go directly to the non-profits. I, of course, also donate my own artwork. This is a way for me to raise far more money for a charity than I am able to personally donate and I am able to build awareness through my art. My goal is to be able to continue to support and help grow these important missions throughout my community and beyond.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.melissaellisart.com
• Instagram: @melissaellisart
• Facebook: @melissaellisart
• Linkedin: @melissaellisart
• Twitter: @melissaellisart
• Yelp: ALG Collective
• Other: ALG Collective on Eventbrite.com

Image Credits
Sara Kerens