Artist Spotlight : Melanie Norris

Artist Statement :

"What sets mankind apart is the broad range of emotions that flesh out their personalities; the things that can neither be seen nor described, only felt. In my paintings, I do not strive for a likeness in a technical portrait sense. I try to lay hold of their inner being, the soul that exists within the flesh. I seek to show how a body isn't existence, but simply a vessel. Physical looks and material things are superfluous signifies of our life. They are easy to understand and define, therefore the materials often replace the true person. I pare down environment and objects from my compositions, leaving a bare being. 

 I then focus on the beautiful strangeness of a person detached from their comfortable surroundings.

   Consequently, the people I’m most drawn to paint are the ones most uncomfortable in front of a gaze or a camera. A very raw honesty comes from their discomfort. I crave that in every painting. Their faces, their hands reflect the unease in my unmasking of them. The face they use for the world disintegrates after a few minutes, fading into their natural and slight anxiety. And therein lies the portrait. The true beauty of humans lies in their bared vulnerability and characteristic flaws."

Beautiful paintings by Melanie Norris, a Johnson City, Tennessee native who now lives and works in Asheville, North Carolina. Primarily a portrait painter, she uses oil and watercolor to create abstracted layers and pools of paint that read as faces. She currently has a studio in Whitespace Gallery of the Wedge Building in the River Arts District of Asheville. Visit Melanie's webpage to inquire further about her paintings or commissions.