Have you met…Joan Mellon?

An introduction can be a wonderful thing. You can meet interesting people, and make new friends. You can be introduced to your new favorite foods, books, music, or artist.

I’d like to introduce you to some of my favorite artists. Some of whom I’ve been familiar with for years, and others I’ve only recently been introduced to.

The artist I’d like to introduce is the painter Joan Mellon, and she was recommended to me by Matthew Neil Gehring.

Messing Around
2013
oil on canvas
18 x 24 inches

Artist Statement.

“I approach the surface I’m going to work on—canvas, wood panel or paper—with little in mind other than its size and orientation and the colors I want to begin with. My tools include not only those that can be held in my hand but also the years I’ve spent absorbing the world and looking at and making art.Not having much of an idea of what I’m going to paint as I approach a blank canvas, I begin painting with wonder and trepidation. Uncertainty is a factor in my work. I yield to the unknown and the possibility of chance happenings allowing each stroke to tell me what to do next. I embrace the fact that the painting and I collaborate on what it will become.For me, the magic of painting happens when, after applying paint and wiping it off, perhaps hundreds of times, there is that moment when—suddenly—the surface of the painting, once inanimate, comes alive.”March, 2013

To Be Continued . . .
2012
monotype on gray Magnani Pescia paper
15×20 1/4 inches (p) 10×16 inches (i)

Joan Mellon lives and works in New York.

COLLECTIONS
Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, NJ
Franklin Furnace Archives / Museum of Modern Art, NYC
New York Public Library – Artists’ Books Collection, NYC
School of Visual Arts, NYC
Private Collections

SOLO and TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2011 “Joan Mellon/Paintings, Works on Paper &
Christina Freeman/Photographs” Aristeia Metro, NY, NY
2006 “Joan Mellon: Contemplating Color,” ParaSite Gallery, Beacon, NY
2005 “Joan Mellon: Paintings / Works on Paper,” Creative Center, NY, NY

Hint of Red
2012
oil on wood panel
8 x 10 inches

Joan Mellon’s studio.

Other material relating to Joan Mellon.

ArtSlant: Joan Mellon.

Flicker: Joan Mellon in conversation.

If you liked this introduction please check out the Previous and Next.