Meli Calkins

Born in Glendale, California, Meli Calkins has been painting with soft pastels for the past 50 plus years. Meli’s mother was a commercial artist and taught Meli how to observe what she saw in her world and would interpret it with drawing and paintings on paper and canvas. While pursuing a bachelors and masters degree in Environmental Engineering, Meli was able to squeeze a few fine art classes in her busy schedule while receiving tutoring from her mother. Of all the types of media that she has had an opportunity to work with, her first love was and always has been painting with soft pastels.

Why soft pastels? In her own words she states; “I love the brilliance and intensity of color that pastels are able to display. Being able to layer and mix the colors directly on sanded paper is more appealing to me than mixing colors on a pallet.”

Meli loves to interpret the landscapes around her. While most of her paintings are of landscapes and seascapes, she also enjoys creating paintings with horses, koi fish and abstracts.

Meli moved from Southern California to Pleasant Grove Utah in 2017. After spending over 30 years in the aerospace industry her new career is pursuing new places in Utah and elsewhere to find and paint with pastel and with oils.

Meli’s paintings can be found in homes in throughout the US and Canada.

Her work can be viewed on her website www.melicalkins.com ,.

Meli is currently a member of the Intermountain Society of Artists, Utah Valley Artist Guild and Midway Artist Association.

Utah