Introducing Melissa Pendrey
Melissa Pendrey is a Lafayette-based visual artist originally from South Florida. After moving to South Georgia as a teenager, she went on to study art at the Savannah College of Art and Design. There, she developed a strong foundation in color theory and began exploring architecture more intentionally in her work.
Melissa works in a representational style, often drawing birds, buildings, and people. Her pieces typically begin with ink, with color added through watercolor, colored pencil, marker, pastel, India ink, liquid acrylic, and other media.
Melissa has called Lafayette home since 2017. Since moving to South Louisiana, she has found continued inspiration in the region’s architecture, nature, and everyday surroundings. She considers Lafayette an important part of her artistic growth, and the area continues to shape the subjects and scenes she is drawn to today.
Who makes up your art circle?
My art circles are made up of fellow PACE artists who teach art and create in their own studios, fellow artisans who sell at the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at Moncus Park, fellow artists from NuNu Art Collective, fellow artists who sell at Sans Souci, former classmates and professors from SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design), and now, fellow artists at Basin Arts.
How do you expand your art circle?
Expanding art circles really means looking for locations, markets, and groups that meet regularly. It’s a bit of a domino effect: once you find one group, you meet others who connect you to another spot, and so on. It’s a really beautiful thing!
What value do you see in having a creative community?
There’s so much value in being part of an art community. You can share ideas, artistic strategies, the enthusiasm of art-making, practice, and explore new skill sets.
How does your artistic approach contribute to your community?
Well, I inadvertently ended up becoming someone who draws buildings from all over Acadiana. It’s been fun to branch out into that realm, and it’s been very well received! It just fuels the passion to create more drawings of more places around here. Acadiana really is a beautiful place to live, and my hope is that it’s reflected in the art I create.
Comments