Melinda
Nemechek is a landscape artist whose paintings spark your
memories and inspire you to dream. Melinda is best known
for her majestic oil landscapes of the Rocky Mountain West
and her “canyon” paintings of the Southwest. Dominated by
mountains and grand western skies, the vibrant colors of
the changing seasons are the backdrop for creeks, flowers
and the Aspen trees of the Rocky Mountains The drama of
light and shadow patterns in nature inspires every painting.
Melinda captures a magical moment in time that is peaceful
and serene; that looks untouched, except a trail or a little
cabin. She uses a close up, limited perspective that leads
the viewer into feeling that he or she is actually a witness
to the scene.
Melinda lives and paints in her mountain studio Southwest
of Denver at an altitude of almost 9,000 feet. The studio
setting, surrounded by Aspen and Pine, provides unlimited
subject material for Melinda’s Rocky Mountain landscapes.
An avid hiker, Melinda has hiked many of Colorado’s “Fourteeners”
and highest passes, the Grand Canyon and much of the canyon
country of the Southwest.
Her fascination
with the Native American culture and the ancient cultures
of the Anasazi brings another dimension to her Southwest
collection. Her Southwest paintings of traditional and
ancient dwelling invoke a melancholy feeling of time past
and present. Stark and sometimes sad, they are no less
intriguing than her serene mountain views.
Artist
Statement:
As long
as I can remember I drew and painted. I grew up in Kansas,
lived on a ranch for a while where horses and dogs were
my favorite subjects. I loved the old barns and fences
that I thought were the “old west”. In 1970, I relocated
to Colorado. I’m so inspired, I think there’s a painting
everywhere I look. I love Colorado, the skies, the seasons,
the beautiful, vibrant colors. I especially love Aspen
trees. I love the way the sunlight plays through the branches,
like the sun trying to chase away the shadows. I still
like old barns, little cabins and the adobe buildings
of the Southwest and they are often part of my new paintings.
