Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melodie Thompson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Melodie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I have always enjoyed exploring and being creative in a variety of mediums while primarily working with oils and charcoal as my mainstay. I think the desire to explore has helped me to take risks when working with oils to see what new ways I can manipulate them to draw viewers closer in. When we are children, I think its natural to wonder, to imagine and create. As we grow into adulthood the parameters of life take over and we lose that ability to be “in the moment”. One of the best ways I have helped my creative acumen and soul is to take time for a project that is not for a show or commission, but just something I am drawn to do. This allows me to just enjoy the process and take risks that I might not be willing to take while working on a large series for a show. There is always something new to be learned in the process that I take with me to my professional work.

The second best way I have grown in learning my craft beyond the academics of composition, color theory/mixing, light value and drawing is critique. I have always been a part of creative salons that do a critique and help each other to look more closely at what is happening with our work. Everyone has a unique point of view about what makes great Art and sometimes you will need to weed out some of the comments to grow in a direction that makes your Art distinctive.
I received some negative feedback from someone I respected as an artist earlier in my career about a portrait drawing that had unique markings in the skin. So, I walked away from exploring this technique for a few years. Later, I returned to it because I personally enjoyed it and realized its what makes my work uncommon.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been fortunate to consider myself an artist from childhood until now. My earlier career years were spent teaching, painting murals, and commissions. For the past twenty years my focus has been growing my personal brand through Art Galleries, juried shows and being a part of local Art associations. I still have quite a few commission pieces that I do on an annual basis and enjoy donating my work to help several local and national non-profit organizations.

As a portrait and figure artist I’m compelled to represent humanity, which for me means as many skin colors as possible.
I think its important for people to see themselves represented in visual arts as well as all forms of media.

I am thankful for the awards and accomplishments I have achieved in my career, but mostly I am grateful for the people I have gotten to know who have connected with me through my Art. Its amazing to have a job that I love, that allows me to connect with so many different people and hear their stories. The kindness I have seen in words and deeds among this industry has made me so grateful to be a part of it.

As an established artist, I’m compelled to mentor the future generations that will be telling our stories and their own through their art. I have a few younger artists that I meet with, connect them with opportunities and give advice to.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I saw a great example of revitalization using the Arts to grow a community while living in Cleveland, Ohio. Its always been a known fact that growth in communities follows the Arts. The area of Waterloo, Ohio was a depressed area that Ohio invested in the infrastructure, set up affordable housing for artists to live in the community and set up business there. New retail business, restaurants followed and as a cultural destination so did the people coming to shop and some to live.

Most emerging artists have a “real job” and their art gets made in the spare time thats allowed in their schedule. So, having affordable housing or grants available for housing/ work spaces can be a huge boost to give talented artists the time and financial resources to live.

Ultimately, investing in local Art personally, supporting grants to help Artists is not only good for the Artist but also for the growth of your community.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I am constantly getting requests to buy my work as a NFT. I have just recently dove into learning about NFT’s more and how they work, which is no easy task. Ultimately, I have decided that with AI and the future it might bring I am going to bet on humanity. I’m hoping that a original hand made piece will be of more value in the end than the slew of digital NFT’s flooding the marketplace. I could be wrong, and of course I know there are pieces out there worth millions as NFT’s, but at they end of the day I always want to go with my gut.   

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tomgirlstudio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomgirlstudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melodie.thompson.7
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melodie-thompson-17818026/
• Twitter: @tomgirl46

Image Credits
Allie Norris, Kate Sweeney