Although an office administrator by trade, Melissa spent fifteen months in Ukraine in 2001 teaching business English as well as time in Japan in 1988. She enjoys traveling and learning languages thanks to the exposure her family experienced while hosting over 40 foreign exchange students during her youth.

Melissa works in acrylic, oil, watercolor, mixed media, and colored pencil … and is always up for the challenge of exploring new and alternative means of painting and drawing. Having inherited her parents’ and grandmother’s love of birds, much of Melissa’s personal efforts focus on birds and animals, but she will try her hand at anything, enjoying the prospect of attempting new projects.
Melissa now lives in Gettysburg with her two cats and an occasional friendly ghost.

“The motivation to lay pencil to paper is easy for me: I appreciate being able to lose myself in art as it quiets my mind and allows me to solely focus on that one thing. I love surprising myself and others when I create beautiful, complex works of art, whether they be flowers, creatures, landscapes, or stills. I also love delighting others when I present my artistic adaptation of their favorite pictures or photographs. It is a gift I am glad to share.

My style is considered semi-realism, and colored pencil work is my favorite. I enjoy the small details, and the combinations and layering of colors that bring an animal to life. I am grateful for my magnifying light! While I have no “formal” education in art (other than the truly countless hours invested watching others perform their works), I have enjoyed this form of creative expression ever since I drew my first squirrel while still in the third grade!”

Special Presentations
• Partner in a three-person art show at The Thought Lot in Shippensburg, PA – 2018
• Juried Artist at the Miniature Art Exhibition for the Council of The Arts in Chambersburg, PA –2019 and 2022
• Artist in the Carroll County Arts Council 50-year celebration in Westminster, MD – 2019
• Featured in the Carroll County Times on 9/13/19
• Juried Artist for the Cumberland Valley Artist Competition in Hagerstown, MD – 2023 – Forlorn Chimpanzee
• Solo exhibition – Martin Sacks CPA firm in Linglestown, PA – 2023
• Solo exhibition – Capital Wellness Center, Enola, PA – 2023
• Juried Artist for the 95th Annual International Juried Art contest, Harrisburg, PA 2023 - Leopard in Shadow
• Juried Artist for Small Wonders with the Maryland Federation of the Arts, Annapolis, MD 2023 – Forlorn Chimpanzee
• Juried Artist for the 39th Annual Miniature Art Contest, Chambersburg, PA 2023 – Bob-cat and Fox-faced Bat* Honorable Mention Award Winner
• Juried Artist for the 52nd Annual Art contest, York PA 2023 – Everything will be Okay
• Juried Artist for the Cumberland Valley Artist Competition, Hagerstown, MD – 2024 – Everything will be Okay

Festivals & Events
• Clarksville, Maryland Sunflower Festival – 2021 and 2022
• Lavender Festival, Sykesville, Maryland – 2020, 2021 and 2022
• Thurmont Fall Fest (during/at ColorFest) – 2021
• DOK Convention, Baltimore Hyatt – 2022

Memberships
• Member of the Perry County Council of the Arts in Perry County, PA – 2018
• Member of the Carroll County, Maryland Art Guild - 2019
• Member of the Foundry Art Market in Chambersburg, PA since 2019