Artworks by Melanie Crawford

As a child I was busy with my hands, always drawing, collecting and making. I loved the feeling of expressing something new, transforming a ‘blank canvas’ into a delightful story or object. I grew up in Sydney surrounded by original art, my parents valued art highly and invested in original artworks curated throughout our home. Sometimes being an artist is isolating and tough, it can also be incredibly fun, but the reality is a bumpy road of self-doubt, fear, failures and financial constraints. It’s not an easy path and it’s taken me a long time to see the validity of my practice. I’ve had to come to terms with vulnerability and uncertainty, yet there is this constant, deeper voice that keeps calling me to the studio. It’s liberating when I can focus on being authentic, knowing what I express is worthy and meaningful, regardless of what the world thinks. With abstract art, I love that not everyone will see the same thing in my paintings and they aren’t meant to. My artworks are about connection, an expression of the journey of life and communication beyond words. My process is to build up texture, to reveal and conceal layers, blend colours and find balance in composition. Cancer certainly changed me and I have embraced the desire to make the most of my life. Art is the reason I get out of bed every day, whether it is to teach or create, I know it’s vital for our collective wellbeing. I’m grateful to have had the privilege of a life of creativity, an amazing art education and the opportunity to work hard at work worth doing. My optimism, my passion for art and my continual desire to create is reflected in every aspect of my life. I have just turned 50 (omg!) I moved to Adelaide from Sydney in 2016 for love, after going through breast cancer treatment in 2014. I have one very supportive husband, two adult children, two teenage stepchildren and a crazy dog. I obtained a Bachelor of Fine Art/Art Education from UNSW (1st Class Honours) in 2013, and a Bachelor of Arts from Macquarie University, Sydney, in 1998. I am a passionate Art educator and the Coordinator of Visual Arts at one of Adelaide’s leading independent schools (Immanuel College). I have won awards for both my teaching and my artworks and I find that my art practice keeps me sane and relevant for my students.