Being a native of Oregon, Melanie finds that her art is influenced by her surroundings.  Melanie's husband is Chinese from Hawaii and that crops up in her quilting frequently.  She started sewing her own clothes when she was eight.  Her mother thought it was better to teach her to sew than it was to teach her to cook.  In her motherly wisdom, she knew that Melanie would learn to cook. Melanie continued to sew throughout her childhood and majored in Home Economics at Whittier College. After taking several art classes in college, she gave up on being an "artist" following several disastrous experiences.  It was five years later that Melanie discovered tole painting.  She figured she could learn this because it was all done with patterns.  Melanie taught classes after working on her skills for several years. Her first experience in teaching fabric painting was in the 80's for Oregon Craft and Floral.  In the late 90's, she combined her love of fabric and painting once again and started teaching it to quilters. Melanie took classes in oil painting, pastels, and watercolor working with several local and national teachers.  In 2003, she was juried into the Watercolor Society of Oregon.  Melanie still find herself excited about all forms of art. 

 

Now Melanie passes along her enthusiasm to other quilters by showing them a skill to add to their repertoire.  Her greatest pleasure comes when the student realizes that he/she can do something that seemed out of their reach.  It doesn't take long for their knowledge and skills to advance to a level of competency.  The skills can be added in many ways to their traditional quilting.  Many of her students have used their knowledge as a springboard to art quilts.  It's always exciting for Melanie to watch their progress.