The River Red by Mellissa Read-Devine

Artist Statement

“Another group of trees I fell in love with, the majestic river red gums anchor deep in dry creek beds that can become a raging river in a very short space of time”

“Be it my local bushland or the wildly spectacular Flinders Ranges, I am moved to interpret the scenes before me in vivid colour and solid brushstroke. There is both delight and respect for the environment in my paintings, as well as affection, I invite the viewer to share my joy in creating them.” – Mellissa Read-Devine

About the Artist

Mellissa was born in England and as a child emigrated to Australia with her family. Having lived in Melbourne, Canberra, Townsville, and Darwin, she now lives in rural Sydney overlooking the Hawkesbury River.

It was inspiration from the outback and the art community in Darwin in the 90s, that initially encouraged Mellissa into painting.  Since then, she has studied in a variety of media, with relief printmaking and acrylic painting being a long term passion. Mellissa’s paintings have evolved into her signature “macropointilist” style celebrating the shape, colour and brushstroke of contemporary impressionism.

A finalist of several important Australian Art Prizes, Mellissa has exhibited in in numerous group shows and 16 solo exhibitions to date.

In 2021 Mellissa was made a Fellow of the Royal Art Society of NSW where she has been a regular art tutor for over 8 years.

“My focus is colour, I rejoice seeing it’s subtleties in nature and then interpreting it onto canvas in a saturated form”