Or save it to favorites and we'll tell you if this item goes on sale!
- Get the Chairish App
- to view in your space
"Bang the Drum" Original Mixed Media Artwork by Mel Rea
- Get the Chairish App
- to view in your space
Details
Description
Drawing title : Bang The Drum : mixed media on watercolor paper : 30"x22" (unframed) : by artist - Mel …
more
Drawing title : Bang The Drum : mixed media on watercolor paper : 30"x22" (unframed) : by artist - Mel Rea : 2024
“I paint to create a momentary window of stillness: evoking calm, humor, and beauty. With color and shape, I aspire to create conversations of dream-like landscapes. I want to tickle the light of your imagination; to create a story between myself and viewer. “
-Mel Rea
Mel Rea completed her BFA in Ceramics from Kent State University in 1995. She created large figurative pieces with labored details: tiny finger nails, eyelashes, and earlobes. Her figures often relied on imaginary characters, while others referenced historical figures. She held a particular affection for Egyptian and Japanese cultural dressing traditions. Her love as a clay artist lasted for nearly 17 years.
As time passed, Mel longed to set clay aside to paint. While living in Los Angeles, Mel pursued continuing education classes in painting at Pasadena City College and San Fernando City College. It was during this time that she discovered a small batch of beeswax in a dust covered bucket in her grandmother’s basement. It was the remains from the last of her grandfather’s beehives.
Mel’s grandfather spent his childhood in Russia where he was inspired to build an apiary farm. His dream came true as an adult in the States where he farmed his own beehives. Mel’s name (full name, Melissa) means “honeybee” in Greek translation. As a young girl, she felt a sense of peace walking amongst her grandfather’s hives. She developed a very deep connection, respect, and appreciation for Mother Nature. Like many artists, nature is a constant source of inspiration for the artist.
That old batch of beeswax led Mel’s transition into painting as an encaustic artist (painting with molten beeswax). The history of encaustics (dating to Greek artists as far back as the 5th century B. C.) appealed to Mel’s sense of nostalgia. The craftsmanship involved with encaustics, allowed for a smooth transition from clay sculptor to painter. The soft satin finish of the beeswax replaced her love of lush clay glazes. The depth of the encaustic medium allowed Mel to dig, scratch, and incise elegant clean lines; satisfying her affinity for a sculptural surface.
After several years of committing to encaustic painting, Mel ventured to explore more traditional mediums. She found a connection to the drying pace and application versatility of acrylics; the swiftness of scribbling lines and instant mark making of pastels; the opaque intensity of gouache; and the texture of oil sticks. Mel utilizes layers of varying paints and application methods: brushing, splashing, dripping, spraying, and scraping. This diverse play of paint creates a lively energy to the composition.
Mel’s paintings are an abstracted assembly of colorful lines and shapes intersecting in multiple sheer layers. She’s often suggestive with her shapes, but never relying on concrete portrayals as she once obsessed over while working with clay. Rather, evocative forms often interweave her canvas in an allusive suggestion of romance, botanicals, humor, or sensuality. Mel often draws inspiration from Japanese aesthetic, her deep love of animals, and all things filling the spaces of our wild natural world. Her work with color and thoughtful composition convey a deeper sense of self; allowing an abstracted anatomy to communicate without narratives. Mel is a believer that what you think, you attract. She is mindful where her imagination lingers, carefully working to ferry thoughts that evoke a connection of warmth between herself and her viewers.
less
- Dimensions
- 22ʺW × 0.01ʺD × 30ʺH
- Frame Type
- Unframed
- Period
- 2020s
- Country of Origin
- United States
- Item Type
- New
- Materials
- Mixed-Media
- Pastel
- Condition
- Mint Condition, No Imperfections
- Color
- Green
- Condition Notes
- This item is in perfect condition. This item is in perfect condition. less
Need more product details?
Standard Returns & Cancellations
Return Policy - All sales are final 48 hours after delivery, unless otherwise specified in the description of the product.
Extended Return for Trade
- Expands return window for trade members to 14 days (12 days more than our standard return policy)
- Trade member to notify Chairish of intent to return within 14 days of item delivery
- Buyer refunded item cost. Buyer pays return shipping cost
- Does not apply to damages that occur post-delivery
Questions about the item?
Related Collections
- Balmain Drawings
- Pine Drawings
- Amber Drawings
- Chartreuse Drawings
- 1950s Fashion Drawings
- Abstract Pencil Drawings
- Black and White Drawings
- Charcoal Drawings
- Ink Drawings
- Pencil Drawings
- Fashion Drawings
- Collura and Co. Drawings
- Lime Drawings
- Richard Caldicott Drawings
- Rococo Drawings
- Architectural Drawings
- Edwardian Drawings
- Persian Drawings
- Stephanie Cate Drawings
- John Begg Drawings
Returns
- Does not arrive
- Is broken during transit
- Is entirely different than what you purchased
- Some made-to-order items and a limited selection of other items (noted as non-refundable in the returns and cancellations section of the product description)
-
Orders where Free Local Pickup or Seller Managed Local Delivery were selected:
- Upon inspection, If you decide not to move forward with the purchase, you or your agent must refuse the item at the time of pickup/delivery from the seller
- Once you have taken possession of the item, all sales are final
- International, cross-border returns may require different processes depending on the countries between which the item is shipping to/from, and the buyer is responsible and duties (if applicable, on cross-border orders).
- On approved returns, the buyer is responsible for the full cost of return packing and shipping.
Cancellations
- Prior to shipping or local pickup, buyers may cancel an order for any reason, with the exception of some Made-to-Order items, where supplies have been purchased or work begun on the item.
- Please notify us within 24 hours of purchase if you would like to cancel an order, as prompt cancellation will reduce the likelihood that you will incur return shipping charges.
- Once shipping or pickup has been initiated, the cancellation will be considered a return and you will be responsible for the cost of shipping.
The Chairish Buyer Guarantee
Make an Offer
Have questions about how offers work? Learn more or .