Melissa Jayne

Profile

Age: 19
City: Melbourne
Country: Australia

Joined: Jun 2007

from the M2 Newspaper:
“Melissa Curtis
Prelude
August 3 – 31 August

At just 18 years of age, Melissa Curtis is staging her first solo exhibition. The title, Prelude, suggests that art will be a lifelong journey for Melissa, and the works on display are just the beginning of her explorations as an artist.
Melissa started drawing in pencil at 14. She says, “Some of my works were terrible, but it was a start! I drew fairies, silhouettes of girls in dresses and faces from National Geographic magazines. At 15, I put some ‘teenage angst’ energy into developing stencils and started stencilling my own images on clothing items.
“In 2006, I fast-tracked art at school with a friend who, to be honest, was more keen about art than I. However, I found the art projects mentally stimulating, challenging and exciting. I would stay up late, brainstorming my ideas for hours on end and refining my skills. Art became a manic passion.
“During the summer of 2006 and 2007, I studied life drawing in Camberwell (five hours a day for a week!) and developed my skills with human figures, mostly female models.
“My work must hold meaning for me to enjoy creating it. Discussing the definition of ‘art’ with a friend led us to believe ‘that art is expressing yourself in any way, shape or form.’ My art expresses not only myself, but my ideas and observations regarding contemporary social influences on modern day life, beauty, people’s interactions with one another, humanities’ relationship with the natural world and my love for biology.
“I’m inspired by many things, many artists and many people. I adore the works of Gustav Klimt and I try to reflect some of his aesthetics in my own re-developed style. Patricia Piccinini has influenced my ideas and has motivated me to question contemporary society from a different perspective. A quote by Jeanette Winterson states that, “everyday in countless ways you and I convince ourselves about ourselves. True art, when it happens to us, challenges the ‘I’ that we are.” This idea parallels how I feel Patricia Piccinini has influenced me and my work.
“My main ambition in life is to be happy and educated, and although I’m very passionate about my artwork, I’m equally passionate about my education. I love to learn about biology. I’m currently studying year 12 and wish to take a gap year next year, then plan to study Science at Monash University. Regardless of studying for qualifications, art will always be a major part of my life.”

I’m 18. In my final year of school. I’m waiting to experience new things. I can’t wait.