Melanie Circle

I am fed by the beauty of nature, by food from the garden and the wilds, and by the warmth and surprise of people near and far.  I do love Quadra Island - the sea, the sky, the forest. The community, the quiet, the birds, the rain…

I approach art-making with a spirit of exploration, as a journey into the unknown – or partly known. A fellow artist once said, “I like to paint something that I’ve never seen before, but that I recognize anyway.”  This is how I play.  Seriously play.  

In my most recent work, I use inks to celebrate the peace and the possibilities of art-making.  I tease out images, following the paint until something recognizable emerges – evocative figures, colourful landscapes, open abstractions.  Here, “There Are Stories Waiting To Be Told”.  The creativity may begin with painting, but it doesn’t stop there. The viewer is invited to play, to pause, and to wonder: “Now, what is happening here?” The viewer’s creative vision continues the exploration and is integral to my art.

For studies, work and pure pleasure, I’ve travelled in Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada and the USA. This has definitely informed my work. 

In India I experienced Tibetan Mandalas at Norblinka outside of Dharamsala; I came home to study, create and teach a form that blends traditional mandalas with western explorations. (Thank you Jack Wise!) After walking 900 kilometers of the Camino de Santiago I painted a series of 27 oil paintings. Later I created The Pilgrim’s Dream – a book of these paintings and Camino musings.  Other explorations have included drypoints, travel landscapes, monoprints and handmade books.  Other explorations have included drypoints, monoprints and handmade books.

In workshops and individually, Melanie invites others to her studio, offering the opportunity to experience the potential healing aspects and the peace of making art.