Melissa Rohr Gindling

Major: Illustration, 2012

Artist Statement

I'm Melissa, an illustrator with an affinity for octopuses. I enjoy watercolor, ink, and making books.

Illustration is a form of stopping time, and immortalizing the animals, people, objects and events I enjoy for the simple pleasure of enjoying the fact that they exist. By describing it on paper or canvas shows it respect and adds to the value I already hold for it.

Although some of my work is realistic, I am not simply depicting objects in photorealism. Instead, the subjects in my art are generally things that I can connect to on an emotional level, and my work brings on an emotional respect connected to the subject. My whimsical illustrations are inspired by nature and animals, silly experiences, dreams and doodles.

Working with my hands has always interested me, and I have a variety of interests in the arts including illustration, fine art, book design, wood-burning, graphic design, and photography. I therefore enjoy experimenting with a lot of different materials, although I tend to come back to watercolor & ink.

While my illustrations are focused on the emotional connection I hold with the subject, I also tend to work towards a smaller format, including the book form. When the viewer holds the art in their own hands it becomes more intimate, and therefore produces a higher emotional connection between the subject and viewer.