Hi! I’m Melanie – welcome to MY page!
I am a mother of three children, happily married 24 (almost 25!) years to my husband, and I am an artist looking to share my creations with others!
If you look for my online, I can be found as “The Creators Palette†as that is the name I gave my art gallery on my website, and my ID on Etsy and eBay (though I rarely sell on eBay any more). I am known as “Pruitt†or “CreatorsPalette†on ArtByUs – another great place to buy quality original art online.
Click Here for The Creators Palette Website Art Gallery
I have been involved and interested in art all my life. Being a very active person, I invested my artistic abilities in the beauty of movement in diving, gymnastics and the creativeness of garden design.
My favorite quote is:
"Some people complain that God put thorns on roses. Others thank Him for putting roses on thorns."
I am also a published author and was a motivational speaker for women’s retreats and conferences where I enjoyed investing my artistic energy into creative visual presentations.
Most recently, in addition to speaking and writing, I enjoyed the art of dance. I not only performed in Vancouver, WA - Columbia Dance’s “The Nutcracker Ballet†for 6 years, but with my degree in Early Childhood Development, I began and taught the creative dance program for children at Columbia Dance.
However, a rare chronic illness changed my life. I am no longer able to actively pursue these artistic outlets. Being determined not to let a chronic illness strip me of life and art, I turned to a lifelong dream of learning to paint with watercolor.
To learn more about me visit my website at http://melaniepruitt.com Click Here
I believe that art is most successful when it touches the viewer’s heart. This is the case with all art forms whether dance, literature, visual, musical etc. Whether it’s joy, serenity or even sadness – art should reach deep within the viewer's soul. (One of my favorite paintings even makes me cry!) With every piece of art I create, I hope to reach deep down and draw the heart of the viewer closer to the heart of The Creator of all beauty.
I live by two basic principles: Love God, and Love others. My painting has become an outlet for both as I paint in love for God, and enjoy the beauty of His Creation. I also hope to love and serve others through any avenue God gives me, including my art.
Though a self-taught watercolorist, I began with a solid basis in visual art, having taken classes focused on drawing, color and composition in college. I now paint almost daily, creating and selling art of various sizes. I especially enjoy miniature and small format art, but also create larger pieces and have recently begun to create on a new product – watercolor canvas. Here’s a sample of a watercolor canvas from the side. As you can see, it can hang directly on the wall with or without a frame.
I've also started painting watercolor on Yupo! What wonderful effects - and yet quite difficult to paint on a synthetic surface like this!
Here is an Abstract I painted on Yupo, then carefully used a wet brush to remove areas of paint to create the white areas. To me, it looks like a bubbling brook - but of course, your eyes may see something different!
I love watercolor because the movement and dance that occurs between pigment and water, along with the unpredictable results are fascinating to me. Every painting is the beginning of an adventure! I have also been a long time fan of impressionist painting. Combining Watercolor and Impressionism is a challenge, and one I hope to continue to develop. This painting, “Autumn’s Refelctions†is a great example of both the “impressionist†style I am developing and the adventure of unpredictable results!
I am excited now to be expanding my media choices. I was trained in the use of colored pencil in college, but I have added Prismacolor pens, Oil Pastels and needle felted Wool Paintings to my creations. Wool Painting, you ask? Here are two samples of my needle felted "Wool Painting":
And here are two samples of my Oil Pastel ACEO's:
What's an ACEO? Well, quite simply, it's a piece of art that is the size of a trading card (2.5"x3.5"). ACEO stands for Art Cards Editions and Originals. Art Trading Cards (ATC's) have been around for many years. The term ACEO was coined recently and began on eBay. But ACEO has become a universal term for this miniature sized art. I even have a wonderful collection of ACEO's that I've slowly collected over the years! I keep them in a book to look through and enjoy, but ACEO's can be slipped into special holders and used as magnets, they can be matted and framed or even displayed on mini easels!
Live, Laugh, Love / Comments