Mel Townsend

                 I am a painter and gallery artist in Portland, OR. I graduated from the University of Oregon with a BFA in drawing and painting in 1996. I received a scholarship thereafter to attend the Vermont Studio School where I was able to push my large scale paintings through my bold lines and color. Soon after graduating I moved to Washington DC where I continued to explore and paint the world around me. 

 

                 My work is bold in color and line, pulling from the roots of the German Expressionist painters and the Bay Area figurative artists. My paintings have always reflected the urban landscapes where I have lived. Whether it be figurative, structural, or landscape, the one thing in common in all my work is the bold colors and dramatic line work. 

 

                 When I moved back to Portland in 2001, coming back to my roots, I fell in love with the figurative quality of the infamous Portland bridges. I began creating several mixed media pieces focusing on the structural qualities of the bridges. This allowed me to explore all the layers of technique in drawing, painting, glazing and exploring how different media, such as charcoal, pen and ink, acrylic, oil, and oil pastels can be used to layer the canvas in different ways. I continue to grow as an artist and show my current work continually in my gallery, Mel’s Frame Shop as well as the Rental Sales Gallery in Portland.