Exhibiton, AC Gallery, 2022

Welcome to my bio! My name is Eve Melia. I'm a professional, self-taught artist based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Lucky to live in such a picturesque part of the UK, I have been inspired to paint the local landscapes and beauty spots around me. I paint with lots of detail and vibrant colour, using my preferred medium of acrylic paint. I also do special portrait commissions of families, pets and more!

I am immensely inspired by my beautiful surroundings; Fairytale-like towns such as Knaresborough where I spent my childhood, the spa town of Harrogate where I reside now, and the gorgeous Yorkshire coastline where I visit annually. My favourite landmarks and locations to re-create on canvas are those which hold the warmest, fondest family memories of my childhood.

When it comes to pet portraits and family portraits, I'm most inspired by people's treasured photographs which often come with poignant tales of joy and woe. I love to transform people's fond memories into permanent artworks to be appreciated for years to come. I love laughter, sparkling eyes, dramatic skies, attractive architecture and flowerbeds in full bloom.

I want my artwork to sing out with nostalgia and happy memories of the good old haunts, by using an inviting composition and the warmth of the entire colour wheel! My painting style has been described as "so real, yet when you look closely it looks like a dream instead of reality" which was a joy to hear, because I aim to re-create scenes as if they were being viewed in a happy daydream. I combine precisely drawn building features with the movement of waves or wind-swept trees, to add a softer element.

I often use enhanced, vibrant colours (acrylic paint is perfect for this) whilst trying to keep as much realism in the detail as possible. I love to combine complimentary colours such as my personal favourite - daisy yellow contrasting with cobolt blue.

I became mesmerized with dreamy, arty, crafty activities as a young girl when my mind was far away in the clouds. Not much has changed! My drawing ability at aged 2 was ambitious for a toddler. I wanted to transport my fantasised images of princesses and enchanted trees to the real world by carefully squiggling them onto paper with avid detail, right down to individual eyelashes and veins on leaves.

As time went on, my artsy passion flourished and I was one of my art teacher’s most enthusiastic students at secondary school. During life-drawing, I was complimented for my concentration, for rapidly darting my vision between my sketchpad and the subject in front of us, making sure I had the shapes and details as life-like as possible. Although I did well in English writing and poetry, I have always found conversation and public speaking a challenge. Stories come out back-to-front, inside-out and with too many umm's and giggles. Painting gives me the time and medium to express exactly what I want to say without having to say a word.

All my drawings were held on to by my loving, encouraging parents until they were ultimately given to me as part of a sentimental memory-box when I left home. These drawings from the early 90's have been scanned into my computer and cropped. I find it fun to look at them and try remember what or who I might have been drawing.

"A Luvly Song" Aged 5

Throughout my adult life so far, painting has consistently been my favourite pass-time. It's my afternoon escape and a source of great distraction, usually accompanied by listening to music to direct my creativity! I've had no formal art training in further education, so my skills are self-taught, I've practiced relentlessly in my own time, with a fair amount of trial, error and victory!

What started as a hobby gradually gained momentum and developed into a small business. Over the past decade I have been commissioned to paint hundreds of portraits. I use people's reference photos to paint from, and I can add and alter specific details at my customer's request. It can be like using Photoshop, but with the real life tools of paint and brushes! I have also embarked on other activities such as commercial sign writing, public wall murals, and hand-painted crafts.

After portrait art, I discovered a true love for landscape painting, inspired by the abundance of beautiful, natural locations all around me. I exhibit and sell my landscape art all year round through my publisher AC Gallery, and I am now one of their key artists. I also work in the AC Gallery shops from time to time, where I have the priviledge of seeing other artist's creations too!

I want to explore my imagination more and get back to my youthful roots where I first found my love for fairytale and wonder.

This year I will take some time to do more creative and expressive pieces, using mythical creatures like mermaids and fairies. This kind of work allows me to tell you something about myself, my imagination and how I see the world. I don't paint from photos with these creative pieces, because it all comes from my mind.

My next collection of landscape paintings (for an exhibition) will encapsulate local folklore and legends, such as Mother Shiptons cave and Janet's Foss, Maybe I will call it "Away With The Fairies" or something along those lines.

I would love to expand my exposure as an artist by selling in galleries along the Yorkshire coast, and by gathering a larger social media following.

I will always be creating art until the moment I physically can't. It's a true passion which I cannot seem to stop for even a day! I have a million paintings in my mind and such a limited time to bring them to fruition!