Defining myself as an artist has been a journey of self-exploration. With so many words to choose from, which ones describe the artist, Melissa Anderson? I could call myself an abstract, contemporary, impressionist who paints still life, landscapes, and figures. That doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Before long, I start to hear the interpretation of others and I’m led down yet another pathway.

It often happens that someone stands at one of my paintings, effusive with love, and then… they mention that it reminds them of another artist. Truthfully, at that moment my heart sinks a little because, well, I am me, the artist, Melissa Anderson. But then I realize that the positive association is so powerful that I usually have a new admirer. As an artist creating original work, it is hard not to bring all the love, admiration, and inspiration for the artists that came before you to the surface of your own work. 

I remember once when a couple with an impressive art collection found me. They visited my studio a few times, circling back to a piece they wanted. They said it reminded them of Cezanne. There is no greater praise in my book! I am inspired by, and often immerse myself into, the lives and works of others, including Cezanne. Some precede me by hundreds of years, and others are my contemporaries. I can’t get enough of the books, museums, and workshops that help me discover the art outside the four walls of my studio. 

In the end, the couple made a decision to take that piece home. They were in the midst of a major downsize and I was nervous to ask, but delighted to discover that my painting now hangs in their beautiful living room.

I will always be growing as an artist. My tools, my style and my skills evolve. I will probably always be becoming the artist Melissa Anderson.