Melissa Old • 11.27.08
Melissa Old
Welcome to the Artists Blog
When did you first become interested in art?
As a child, I would always draw pictures of the horse I wanted. A picture is worth a thousand words, so I figured if I added the drawing along with the wish list, my chances would improve of getting a horse! It didn’t actually work out that way (I didn’t get my first horse until I was in my 20’s), and while I didn’t exactly consider what I was doing as art at the time, I suppose that would be when my own”art” began. From there my interest in art grew along with me, including art and art history classes in school, eventually resulting in my bachelor’s degree in art. I’ve been painting since!
What style of art do you use most?
This is a tough one for me! My work seems to be a conglomeration of realism, impressionism and expressionism (and/or ??). From a distance, some of my work seems to almost look like I was making an attempt at photo-realism, but upon getting close to the piece it’s obvious that my interest in the paint, brush work and color was the driving force. I wish I had a more clear answer… that question has always left me sort of scratching my head and mumbling,”Hmmm…”.
At Rest
Has your style changed from when you first began as an artist?
My style has changed some since I first began as an artist, but it’s not like I went from abstracts to realism or anything. I guess my earlier work was much more like graphic art at times. I was much cleaner in my lines, limited in my color usage, and detail oriented. Now I seem to stand back more, squint a lot, and try to get the larger picture across. The painterliness and feeling of the work is more important to me now – I really want it to catch someone’s eye in the way the original subject caught mine. Color, composition and the overall feel of the piece are now much more important to me than whether or not I got all of the flower petals just right!
What medium do you use?
Oil on canvas or linen is my medium. I’ve worked in acrylics, watercolors, pen and ink and monotypes in the past, but these days I’m strictly an oil painter.
What made you choose that medium?
Without a doubt it is the”buttery” feel of oil paints, the amazing colors available, and the abiility to work them for a while that caused me to choose them as my medium. I like working on canvas more than other substrates because I like the textures of the canvas/linen under the paint. And, as unhealthy as it likely is, I also really love the smell of oil paints! 
Do your ideas come from life or imagination?
My ideas absolutely always come from life. I’ve been known to use some”artistic license” with elements in order to get the composition the way I want it, but it’s real life stuff all the way. I paint plein aire when I can, but the weather where I live can change every five minutes, so most of my work is from my photographs (I carry my camera with me everywhere).
La Iglesia de Santa Cruz
How do you choose your images and colours?
My images and colors are always chosen based on a combination of what is real in the image, and what I want to enhance or”push” in the image. Autumn here in New Mexico is amazing… the cottonwoods that line the river valleys look like they’re made of neon and plugged into electrical outlets. The shock of that much color against what is generally considered the”brown” desert landscape is stunning. I stopped seeing the brown a long time ago though… it works for me now as color that really only heightens any other color around it. I try to get that across in my work. And with paintings like the black bulls and cows, it’s amazing how much blue is in the black of their fur. I rarely if ever use black as a paint color – I prefer to mix colors for a much richer and more varied dark palette.
Who is your favourite artist?
I can’t pick just one! Matisse, Monet, Degas, Klimpt, Michaelangelo, Toulouse Lautrec, Gaugin… just some examples of those in the past. Leigh Gusterson, Laurie Faye Bock, Inger Jirby, Dan Namingha (all local here in New Mexcio and still with us!). Those are just some off of the top of my head – I know that when I’m done with this interview that I’ll say,”Oh! Yeah! So-and-so, for sure!” Art is such a wonderful, beautiful, subjective, in-the-moment thing… I can’t even begin to describe how much I love looking at art and finding what is unique and amazing in so many pieces – and in styles that vary from abstract to photo-realism.
What is your favourite piece of work by yourself?
I guess my favorite piece of my own work (that I’ve included here) is the piece titled “Miss Dallas”.
Miss Dallas
My work takes on a whole life of it’s own when it’s of places or animals that I have a very personal connection to. Dallas lived here with me and my elderly gent horse named Rooney. She was an older, quiet and shy mare, and her heart was as big as the day is long. She passed away a couple of years ago.”Miss Dallas” is my ode to her – she is greatly missed. The painting is from a photo I took of her as she was happily milling about in the field. Every time I look at the painting I get to smile thinking of her – that’s why it’s one of my favorites.
How much time (on average) does it take to complete a work?
Some of my smaller pieces might take only a couple of days, and the larger ones can happen in as quickly as a week, or take a full month. I actually work relatively quickly, but even so, it’s not unknown for me to end up with nearly three fully painted pieces on one canvas! I’ve had some pieces that I get quite excited about and that will keep me up for days on end, only to have something happen a week later where I find I can no longer work on them and have to start something new in the meantime. Some of those pieces don’t end up being finished for more than a year (with months passing between painting on them again). I guess the answer to the question is that it really depends on a lot of things!
How well do you take criticism?
Art is so personal, and so much of any artist’s soul goes into what they do, that it takes a pretty strong character and a big leap of faith to”expose” oneself by showing one’s work/oneself for all to see and comment on. It can feel like a pretty touchy balancing act to accept criticism of one’s art without taking it personally. I know that’s how it feels for me!
Lower Placitas, El Rito
What do you do to overcome a ‘block’?
To overcome a”block”, I go for a walk, eat, sleep, read… and get completely stressed that I have a”block”! It can sometimes take weeks or months for me to get over being blocked. The good news is that I’ve finally discovered that the blocks do eventually go away, and when they do… it’s painting time! Sometimes only time can get me through it.
How do you know something is ‘finished’? Is it easy to walk away?
Like I said above, sometimes I’ll have three fully painted pieces on one canvas. One over the other – the previous two never to be seen again. I just have to keep working until it feels right to me. Some of my pieces are started and finished with no pauses in between, and others just need more time spent on them. Regardless of which way it goes, there always comes a time when I can tell that I have only a few more brush strokes before I’m done. Sadly, it’s often when the painting is so wet and thick that I have to wait for it to dry a bit before I can add those brush strokes! It’s exciting though, when I step back, can’t see anything else I want to do to the piece, and sign the work!
River In Velarde
Have you had exhibits in galleries?
I’ve shown my work in some small local galleries, but as of yet have not taken my work into any of the”big dog” galleries. I’ve shown in art shows, studio tours and at some local resorts as well. With the sales I make myself, I rarely seem to have the big body of work that galleries want to be able to pick and choose from in the first place. It is something I’m working on!
Have you any exhibits in galleries planned for the future?
I have another small exhibit coming up this month at the Ojo Caliente Resort and Spa here in New Mexico. It’s a great venue and I usually do really well in my shows there.
What are your plans for the future?
Paint! Paint! Paint! Go on vacation, paint while there, and then come home and paint some more! Oh, and I’ll continue doing landscape and design work as well.
What advice would you give new artists?
The advice I would give new artists is to follow your own heart in regards to your art. It is your soul and your vision that makes you and your work unique. Discover your own voice, learn your craft, and go for it!
I think your work is amazing! Don’t stop painting! Thank you for the fantastic interview Melissa
You can visit Melissa’s work at
