Creative Interview: Melissa Critchlow Fine Art

//via Melissa Critchlow Fine Art

It’s been awhile since I’ve featured a creative on the blog with a “Creative Interview,” but when Melissa reached out to me, I quickly agreed to a collaboration. Her work is moody and textured and she uses the prettiest colors. Plus, Melissa offered to give away one of her pieces! So read all the way to the bottom for details on the giveaway!

Quick Questions

Preferred medium: My preferred medium is definitely heavy bodied acrylics on fine art paper or canvas.
Favorite spot in your home: My bedroom. It is where my studio is currently tucked into a corner of, but I have also made the whole room a creative/relaxation sanctuary.
Ideal way to spend a Saturday: Hm, I would have to say start with a sleep in, then kidlet snuggles followed by a long session in my studio and ending with a walk in one of the nearby forests within the city.
Biggest inspiration: The mountains and our coastal weather for sure. Nature is integral to my emotional and spiritual well-being so my work revolves around it. I love exploring the natural landscapes around me, the colours, the lines, and I combine it all into moments of how the landscapes make me feel, trying to capture that moment on the canvas.
Favorite color: Turquoise, blues, greens, and metallics like gold and copper. Probably why they make the foundations of so many of my paintings.

//via Melissa Critchlow Fine Art

When did you begin painting and getting into art? Do you have any formal training?

No, I don’t have any formal training. Aside from one university course, I am completely self-taught. I have been creating art since I was a child. I knew from then that it is what I wanted to be doing with my life.

I was homeschooled growing up and my mother was creative as well (a poet), so she really encouraged me to pursue my passion of drawing and illustration. She would buy books on drawing and painting, bought my first pencils and brushes. She really championed my passion even though she was afraid of how I would make a living as an artist so she also encouraged me to be practical and pursue other careers for financial support.

But, despite not pursuing art as a career initially, I still carried that desire for art and expressing myself throughout my adult life and many different career choices. So when my mother passed away several years ago, I sort of realized that life is too short to not be doing what you love. So I began unpacking all of my insecurities that I had around being an artist and what was blocking me.

Then, with the birth of my children, I went to the next level and realized that not only is life too short, but what do I want to teach my children about being fearless in the pursuit of of your dreams? So I had to start setting an example and show up at the canvas for myself and for them. It proved to be the elixir I needed to shed those fears and keep pushing myself to find my art style, to find my passion again and reteach myself what I needed in order to make the art I was meant to make.

//via Melissa Critchlow Fine Art

When and how did you decide that you wanted to start selling your artwork?

A few years ago I realized that if I could make a living as an artist that would be not only amazing, but also the ultimate goal for me and my family. I enjoy being a stay at home mom and being able to be at home with my children while they are so young is very important to me. So I began researching how it was possible for other people to make a living as an artist and went from there. It has taken literally years of researching and digging to uncover just the surface of what I need to do. But everyday I am learning more and growing. And that is all I can ask for really.

//via Melissa Critchlow Fine Art

What is the biggest thing you have learned about yourself since you began selling your art?

I would say the biggest thing I have learned is that I can do anything if I put my mind to it. I CAN conquer my fears, learn anything, do anything that I need to or want to do. I just have to keep pushing and persevere even when it seems too hard to.

//via Melissa Critchlow Fine Art

Does your art influence the way you decorate your home? If so, how?

At first it didn’t but now that I am securely in my artistic style it absolutely does. I chose the wall colours of my house ( a slate west coast grey in the main part of the house and a deep azure blue in my studio/bedroom) to compliment my art as I love hanging it and enjoying it while I wait for it to sell. I have also begun to find more neutral and natural tones in my additional decor pieces.

//via Melissa Critchlow Fine Art

Where can people find you?

Instagram
Facebook
Website
Etsy Shop

Giveaway

Melissa is giving away an 8×10 fine art print of her Misty mountain II. Head to Instagram to see the piece and enter to win! We’ll be drawing the winner on Friday, October 26.