Painting
This body of work is a window to a secretive world of birds. It represents my efforts to immortalize these moments; to stop time and bring the viewer along with me on these journeys. My hope is to translate the connection I feel to the birds when I find them in the wild. I seek to embed every brush stroke with the vitality and uniqueness of each bird I encounter.
„Melissa grew up strongly influenced by her late father James Mance, Sr., whose mastery and teaching of traditional waterfowl decoy carving taught her a love of birds and the observation skills necessary to render them with realism and creativity. She earned a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art and MFA in painting from Rochester Institute of Technology. In parallel with her career as a fine artist Melissa has developed her skills as a naturalist, licensed wildlife rehabilitator and animal trainer. She also is an art educator at the Byron-Bergen School District and the Rochester Institute of Technology, teaching children and adults to express themselves in a variety of media. Her work has been exhibited at numerous venues including the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York and The Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, NY.“
Mark Baldwin Director of Education, Roger Tory Peterson Institute
