“Seaside Dreams” 16×12, original oil by Melissa Jander
“Lavender in Window” 12×16, original oil by Melissa Jander
“Sweet Peas in Window” 12×12, original oil by Melissa Jander
Melissa Jander, a “home-grown” Pacific Northwestern painter, brings “A Sense of Place” to her latest works by combining objects, settings and a glimpse of the environment. Using carefully chosen colors and expressive brushwork she hopes to invite the art viewer to participate by evoking a mood, memory or emotion.
Grace note received:
“Looking forward to a fabulous show and another fun visit to Seaside. In addition, on three paintings I have updated my framing, adding linen liners and new frame molding. I was selected as the 2018 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival poster artist! Here is the NW News article. See you soon!” 🙂 Melissa
Home/News & Features/News/2018 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival poster art created by Woodinville artist
Each year a committee of community volunteers selects a local artist to create the official poster, which is unique to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.
Local artists submit their applications and the winner is free to choose their medium and style in a way that will interpret their vision of the festival and the tulips of Skagit Valley. In a testament to the quality of the art, several previous posters received the Gold Pinnacle award from the International Festival & Events Association. The new poster is unveiled in November each year, and this year’s artist is one of our own.
Woodinvile artist Melissa Jander was chosen to create the 2018 official poster. She created her Tulip Festival poster painting with oils on a smooth, acrylic-primed masonite board. Said Melissa, “I will leave the style of the painting up to the viewer to decide, but the styles of art I’m most interested in are impressionist and post-impressionist… My favorite artists are Pierre Bonnard, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, and Paul Cezanne…their work really resonates with me because of their use of color, representation of light and expressiveness of brushstrokes.”
Melissa used inspiration from years of visiting the tulip fields to create her painting. She said, “It’s a wonderful experience every visit. I do quick sketches and paintings out in the fields; and take photos as well in all kinds of weather. The sunny days are great for the contrasts in light and shadow, but overcast days can’t be beat for seeing the powerful, rich color of those blooms. Then at home I combine my resource material into an idea for a painting. It starts with several sketches and composition ideas, then after deciding on a favorite I do a larger sketch and move it onto a larger canvas or panel.”
After earning a bachelor of arts in foreign language and literature from Washington State University, a Graphic Design certificate from the Art Institute of Seattle, and a Web Design certificate from Bellevue College, Melissa started her career as a graphic designer and marketing professional before seriously pursuing her art in 2001. Current art associations include Women Artists of the West, American Impressionist Society, Northwest Artists in Action and Woodinville Arts Alliance. She is currently represented by Fairweather Gallery in Seaside, OR, and Scott Milo Gallery in Anacortes, WA.
When asked how she felt about being chosen to paint the poster for the 35th anniversary she replied, “Gosh, I was so thrilled to be invited to paint the 35th anniversary poster! I have hoped to contribute to the SVTF poster in some way for many years… but it took a long time of learning skills, practice, and life experience before the time was right to pursue it further. I appreciated the opportunity to meet and work with the Tulip Festival committee and the tulip farm owners because many of us around here have been the beneficiaries of all of their hard work over the years. The tulip farms and Tulip Festival are a real treasure for us here.”
Melissa Jander artist with her 2018 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival poster art.
Published by Woodinville Weekly/ April 2018
To learn more about the artist, please visit
www.fairweatherhouseandgallery.com
…artists/ …Melissa Jander
