ARTIST STATEMENT
Remember when you were a child, creating artworks by cutting and pasting? Well, that’s what I do as an adult, and it’s just as fun and satisfying as it was when I was in kindergarten. I’m fascinated by grids, tessellations, and repeated shapes. I reinforce this repetition through colors and materials. Because patterns tend to be orderly and predictable, I like to add unexpected elements for humorous or ironic effect.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Melanie Deal’s paper collages and mixed-media works incorporate both predictable patterns and unexpected elements. Recent exhibitions include a solo show, “Salmagundi,” at the Village Hall Art Gallery (Lincolnwood, IL) and group shows “Metamorphosis: The Art of Transformation” at Northwestern University’s Dittmar Gallery (Evanston), “Artful Antics” at Norris Cultural Arts Center Gallery (St. Charles), and “Inflection Point: Gender Futures, Political Possibilities” at Oakton College’s Koehnline Museum of Art (Des Plaines). She lives in Evanston, Illinois.
© Melanie Deal