“For me, painting is as much about mood as a place. I don’t aim to reproduce an exact replica of a scene, but rather to evoke the atmosphere and emotion I feel when I’m there.”

Melissa is particularly drawn to the coast during the colder months when the landscapes feel more raw and elemental. The untamed beauty of a stormy sea, amid all that drama, there’s a stillness, a moment where everything falls quiet.

“It’s those moments of calm within the chaos that I find so inspiring, whether it's the quiet stillness after a storm has passed or the electricity in the air just before the next one rolls in, my goal is to share that feeling with you.”