Krystii Melaine was born in the Australian town of Bairnsdale, Victoria.
Krystii Melaine spent much of her childhood observing the wild birds and animals in the forests surrounding her home. Announcing at the age of four that she was going to be an artist, Krystii won her first art competition at seven. By the age of fourteen, Melaine was selling paintings and accepting commissions. Following studies in painting, drawing, photography and graphic design, Krystii set up her own fashion design company, and in the following years she developed it into one of the largest bridal-wear companies in Australia. A large staff manufactured her seasonal collections which were sold to outlets around Australia and New Zealand, while exclusive designs were sold through her own retail store in Adelaide. Krystii Melaine's elegant, sculptural gowns were also shown in Paris and London.
A burning desire to return to painting led Krystii Melaine to five years of study in traditional tonal realism and the oil-painting techniques of the old masters with the renowned Australian artist, Graham Moore. Drawing on Moore's 80 years of artistic experience provided her with a strong background in portraiture, still life and landscape painting. Her passion for wildlife and fascination for people became the major inspirations for her paintings and Krystii is now recognised as one of Australia's premier fine artists. Her work is rapidly gaining recognition around the world, and is regularly exhibited in major art museums and world class exhibitions across North America.
Traveling widely in search of her favourite subjects, Krystii Melaine combines field observations with research to gain understanding of the wildlife she encounters. Regular travels to the American West and time spent with cowboy friends have led to her more recent exploration of the life of modern working cowboys. Through sketches and studies, her initial inspiration develops into a composition that expresses the visual and emotional impact of her experience with each creature or friend. Krystii Melaine develops her images with several layers of oil paint on canvas, absorbed by her subject and revelling in the paint itself. "I love the feel of oil paint, whether mixing intense colours or subtle tones, pushing around thick impasto or applying the thinnest of washes, laying down loose brushstrokes or fine details." Working in a realistic style, Krystii Melaine combines accurate details with a soft, slightly loose application of paint. Her bold compositions project the amazing power of life with strength and conviction.
Krystii Melaine also paints traditional portraits and still lifes using the methods of the old masters, where larger brushes and a direct approach portray the essence of the subject directly from life. Her skill in capturing an accurate likeness in a strong, painterly style has led to many official portraits for the Australian Army, Navy and Air Force, and commissions for museum collections, corporate and private clients around the world.
An impressive list of prestigious awards includes Best of Show 2D at Heart of the West in Fort Worth, Texas, The Painting Award at the Buffalo Bill Art Show in Cody, Best of Show at NatureWorks in Oklahoma three times, The Award of Merit - Bird in Arts For The Parks, Wyoming, and many from the Wildlife Art Society of Australasia including Best Australian Native Wildlife Artist. She has also been voted most popular artist in numerous exhibitions. Exhibitions in the USA have included Masters of the American West at the Autry National Center, Cowgirl Up! at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Heart of the West at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, Quest for the West at the Eiteljorg Museum, Night of Artists at the Briscoe Museum, the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's Birds in Art, The Society of Animal Artists' Art and the Animal, The Buffalo Bill Art Show, Arts For The Parks and major solo exhibitions.
The book Feather and Brush: Three Centuries of Australian Bird Art includes Krystii Melaine among the 34 major contemporary Australian bird artists featured. Articles about her work have appearing in international magazines including Southwest Art, Art of the West, Western Art Collector, Wildlife Art, U.S. Art and InformArt.
Krystii Melaine's brilliant and powerful oil paintings express the wonderful beauty and diversity of our natural world and of ourselves. Through her paintings, she hopes to inspire us to really appreciate all living things and to experience the world with the passion of an artist.
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