Melissa Metzler
Biographical Info Residing in Northeastern Wisconsin and the Palm Springs area of California At their essence, my paintings and photographs portray explorations of the mind and places of imagination. As a kid growing up in Wisconsin, I remember my excitement coming out of the movie theater after seeing Star Wars. It was an invitation to daydream about space travel, and it ignited my curiosity about what could be out there when I looked into the night sky. When images came from the Hubble telescope, they were astounding. What began as entertainment and curiosity expanded into a full blown interest in the capabilities and depths of the human mind to take us to new places – physical, psychological, mythical, and theoretical. A 2009 talk on time travel by physicist Ronald Mallett during his visit to the Walker Art Center, and another talk by physicist Brian Greene during his 2012 visit to the Twin Cities, were inspirational events. I began creating journeys in 2003, and they continue to this day. Bodies of work include: Origin of Hope (paintings on paper, 2003-05) Search (paintings on paper, 2008-10) Encounters (paintings on paper, 2010-2012) Portrait of (paintings on paper, 2010-ongoing) New Realities (photographs, 2010-ongoing) Collective Memories (mixed media paintings on paper, 2014) Soar (series of mixed media paintings on paper dedicated to people in my life who have soared to new heights, 2014-ongoing) Psyche (2019-ongoing) Studies: University of Minnesota Minneapolis (Master’s and Undergraduate degrees); University of Wisconsin (Green Bay)
Level Northeast Wisconsin Chapter
Membership Type Member