Melanie Damore
Painter
https://www.instagram.com/melanieday_art/
https://www.instagram.com/denverartdays/
My name is Mel Damore and I’m primarily an oil painter of landscapes and flowers, but love to work with my hands and explore many forms of Art. I am originally from a small town near Erie, Pennsylvania right on the great lake. I traded my life on the water to move west and immerse myself in the mountains. I recently started Denver Art Days LLC to teach a variety of beginner and intermediate art classes all over Denver, Golden, and Fort Collins
What made you want to join Art Gym? After 10 years as a K-8 Art Teacher, I decided to open my own business, clear my head, and start painting again. I was looking all over Denver for studio spaces, but wasn’t interested in paying to sit in a blank walled room by myself. I wanted to find my own artistic community. I found the Art Gym and have loved the energy of the space and the conversations with the other members. All of the artists are so unique and kind, and the diversity of their artistic practices has really helped foster my creativity. I absolutely love the community of artists I’ve found here.
How has Art Gym helped with your art practice? Before being a member at the Art Gym, I was always trying to paint in small apartments, usually at a desk in my room. I was constantly worried about the lack of ventilation or getting paint on carpeted floors so I never felt safe to let go. Since joining the Art Gym, I’m able to let go and focus on my work for hours. I have watched my skills grow with every painting.
What are you hoping to communicate through your work? I’ve always loved looking closely at things. Every weekend I head to the mountains sometimes just to sit on the ground and look at rocks or plants. I love the details, colors, tiny little lines and dots found in nature. When I paint, I love to recreate the plants, landscapes and reflective objects I’ve observed and obsessed over. The tiny details of things makes me so happy, so I try to recreate their beauty for others.
Who and/or what are some of your biggest artistic influences? The biggest influence on my work is nature. The artist that most inspires me is Albert Bierstadt with his meticulous depictions of the west. In fact, I could argue that his paintings were a big reason I moved out here. His work seems to capture each landscape’s true essence through luminism and color temperature and gives me the same feelings as when I am deep in the forest. When closely observed, I get to enjoy messy brushstrokes, but upon backing up, I can somehow make out each blade of grass in the overall landscape. I continually practice creating a similar sense of detail within my own loose painterly style.
What does your artwork mean to you? Art is one of the only things that gives me a feeling of quiet euphoria. Creating Art takes the rapid thoughts in my head and deafens them. It’s an irreplaceable hobby that gives me pure joy. It challenges me and allows me to truly articulate how I see things through my eyes. I want to continue to define my own style, refine my skills, and share my passions for art and nature with others.
