Melanie Ferguson’s distinctive artistic style reflects a lifelong commitment to freedom, wonder and beauty. She grew up in Utah’s majestic Wasatch Mountains, exploring the mysteries of nature at her family’s lake cabin, where her free-spirited grandmother inspired her to live life on her own terms.

To pursue the adventurous life she craved, Melanie realized she’d have to leave her family roots and patriarchal community. At the University of Utah, she took art classes, studied French and dreamed of living and painting in Paris. She moved first to Los Angeles, but marriage and family responsibilities prevented her from pursuing art school and the career she’d envisioned.

Meanwhile, staying connected with art through classes and workshops proved a happy reprieve. When her two daughters left for college, Melanie relished her newfound freedom to travel, study and paint. She began to enjoy success; her Plein air landscapes were selected for gallery shows and sold to collectors.

Then Melanie’s 30-year marriage—and her world—fell apart. Though she struggled at first to stay strong and find a new path forward, her decision to choose beauty over bitterness eventually led to a new passion—abstract art.

“I was no longer interested just in creating pretty pictures,” she says. “I became more interested in looking beneath the surface and sharing with others what I see.”

Today, Melanie is remarried and again living in Utah, with her husband, Greg, and their Golden retriever, Joey. Her paintings are featured in major shows and sought after by collectors. And she has no regrets about her journey.

“I’m thankful for my past,” she says. “When you go through a dark night, you live—and paint—more authentically. Now I can offer my audience a deeper, more meaningful way of looking at the world.

“My inspiration for my painting has come mainly through my passion for travel, and I’ve been lucky enough to see and paint different parts of the world. I will forever be a student of the arts, experiencing the freedom, wonder and beauty I’ve always prized.”

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