Hi there, take a journey with me
Let me introduce myself, my name is Melissa Antonio and I'm a self-taught, abstract artist living in Toronto, Canada.
I can't tell you how much I LOVE to paint!
As in, EVERY step of the process. It gives me a sense of freedom and limitless creativity. In the past couple of years, I've been "finding my voice" as an artist. This journey I'm on is equal parts exciting and challenging, but its reward really is the greatest: Being able to share what I love to do.
I feel so lucky and extremely blessed just to get to paint every single day! I grab my headphones, put on my favourite playlist, turn the volume past the recommended levels (whoops), and get into my creative mindset. I HAVE to listen to music to put out my best work. It's a special kind of focus I have when the music is blasting and I shut out everything beyond the walls of my studio.
“Every artist was first an amateur” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
What inspires me to paint? Many things! So many things!
I love working with texture. Layers of texture and paint for me recreate the unpredictability of life. I get to now express my own life experiences visually, creatively and most important, in a way that represents who I am. I’m also obsessed with everything about the ocean. The colours, the way it convey’s a story, it also can be a powerful metaphor for endless possibilities and of course freedom.
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” -Pablo Picasso
The texture for me represents the many obstacles I've faced throughout my life. I was a teenager when I had my daughter and lost my mother within months of each other. This has definitely given me the strength and determination to accomplish anything I put my mind to. Life is forever changing and I can apply that to my art practice. Each painting I do has a different composition and meaning that is so telling of how life is.
“You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” —Bob Marley
My goal is to inspire anyone else that may think they can't start to do what they love to do. It's a leap of faith, but it can be so damn AMAZING!
Commissions are currently available. To inquire about a commission melissa.antonioart@gmail.com or, browse and purchase .
melissa.antonioart@gmail.com
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