What do you get when you combine world traveling with plein air painting? A job that incorporates oil painter Melanie Nogawski’s two passions, and allows her to share her visions of the world’s most intriguing landscapes with others.
Melanie’s subtly impressionistic style is characterized by vivid color, as seen in this first painting, entitled Fall in Spring City. In the mid-distance, a lone house sits within a landscape full of forests, rolling hills, shaded grasslands and looming mountains.
Fall’s crisp colors are gentled by the soft brushstrokes Melanie used to create the dense bushes in the forefront and shadowed mountains in the background. Interestingly, the middle of the painting is where all objects come into full focus, creating a fantastic perspective of the lay of the land.
December in the Mountains takes a different approach that actually reminds me more of rustic etching on glass than traditional painting.
Paint is scumbled across the surface of the painting, creating an old-timey, antique look and feel. It’s a style that works well with this wintertime scene, when everything outdoors slows down, hibernates, or simply freezes to a standstill.
Last of all, with its clean, vertical lines and minimal color usage, Aspen in Shade instantly caught my eye and drew me in.
By keeping the painting simple, Melanie was able to maximize the easy beauty of nature just as it is. Soft blues and purples form the aspen’s shadows, while a light pinkish cream marks the highlights.
Around and between each aspen, bright orange leaves add depth, color, and meaning to what could otherwise be almost a purely abstract painting.
To see more of Melanie’s fantastic landscapes—which were inspired greatly by her world travels—please visit her website.
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