MELISSA JO
Melissa Jo creates portraits of African Americans transitioning between organic, atmospheric, textural forms to establish a relationship between the identity of the figure and emotional states, creating visual stories. She establishes that the physical & subconscious can be inseparable. Her goal is to engage those viewing her work with beautiful presentations of inner realities. Her works explore human experiences with a focus on the conflicted space between destruction and redemption. Melissa works with a saturated palette & ethereal blends that breaks the expectations of the physical reality. She uses the fluidity of her chosen medium to encourage visual movement to show emotional/subconscious states moving into the confines of physical reality. Her portraits do not purely seize the physical or emotional rendering of the subject. They work to establish a genuine meeting with the viewer, opening an internal dialogue on what occurs when one comes face to face with the beautiful, the puzzling, and the unsettling realities of life.
"UPSIDE " Acrylic on Mounted Canvas 2021
"SIDEWAYS " Acrylic on Mounted Canvas 2021
"UNGODLY HOUR" Acrylic on Mounted Canvas 2021
