Melissa Mailer-Yates

Mailer-Yates Artwork

History & Background

I purposefully avoided art college as I was unsure about becoming a part of the great out-wash that appeared to be the end product of the system. In hindsight I believe I probably missed out on a great deal, however I did enjoy early successes as a result. My first year saw me commissioned by Her Majesty the Queen, which subsequently entailed visits to Buckingham palace and ultimately a private audience. This early fillip led me to other exciting commissions, most notably portraits of Princesses for the Saudi Arabian Royal Family, and more recently Betsy Bloomingdale, and the Consul-General of Los Angeles.

Apart from my portrait work I have also won awards for my Equestrian painting. As such I am an Associate member of the Society of Equestrian Artists.

I have shown extensively in Britain and had a wonderful solo exhibition in New York in 1997 that was filmed by the BBC. I have also exhibited in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Aspen, Colorado. I worked directly with the Medical Arts Program at UCLA, which coincided, with my being made an honorary board member of the Fine Art Dealers of America. During my time in the States I was invited to speak on behalf of the British Consulate, and also co-hosted an event with Ivana Trump, presenting the ‘Spirit of Freedom’ award to Goldie Hawn.

IDEAS & INSPIRATIONS

My inspiration for years has been the power, beauty and wonder of femininity. My current work has all of these aspects. It seeks to explore the intimacy of women whether in their own private space or simply within the secret place that belongs to the female world alone. The power of a woman is not defined in a dominant sense, but in the affinity with the world and a true understanding of our nature and place in the universe. My paintings explore sensuality rather than sexuality, touching on the poignancy of personal moments and the inter-relationships that occurs on all levels.

My earlier work dealt more with abstract qualities, portraying indiscernible emotions, whereas my present work is more tangible. It is important to feel and share the mood.

The insistence on using light and shade to explore reality as an abstract form draws on the romantic sentiment. It evokes memories of our own experiences, lit by the sunlight of youth and innocence, long forgotten encounters that were ours and ours alone. My paintings provide glimpses of other lives infused with light and life in the way that Degas and Mary Cassatt did, two of my most passionate sources of inspiration.

FROM PALETTE TO PICTURE

I have worked in many different mediums over the years, often defying tradition and mixing extraordinary materials within the same painting, always ready to break the rules at any opportunity. Now I am enjoying a much more traditional way of working again. Having gained looseness and a freedom in my application, invaluable acquisitions, I have been able to successfully employ it within a tighter structure. I insist on stretching my own canvasses and re-priming them with a warm base colour. The involvement in the process from such a basic point instigates a total bond with the picture. The creation of a painting is an intimate emotional event, and as such cannot be treated as a casual relationship. It is important to be fully involved where possible with every aspect.

One of the most momentous stages was to define my palette. I now use only five colours, and like the water colorist, this does not include black. I prefer to work with acrylic as I am always impatient to see the final result. Although I treat it, as much as is possible, as though it were oil paint. The initial painting is thinned and serves to create a tone-map above all else. The creation process is a very consuming act. I have to touch every facet of my subject, feel the heat or the cold, the softness or hardness and the emotion. The physicality as such, I describe as sculpting in two dimensions. Final layers require bold, deliberate strokes of thick paint with defined flows and movement to ensure the contrasts and to explore the abstractions that make up the reality, giving the paintings their mood and tangibility.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF MELISSA MAILER-YATES

Much against my earlier beliefs I do not have, nor believe in, a particularly coherent structure to my day. I do create something every day, but this can take the form of painting, construction, drawing and preparation, working with my models or even writing. My writing is an invaluable release, and includes poetry, 16th Century fiction and children’s literature. I am a firm believer in the premise that all of the ‘Arts’ are interconnected, each is an integral part of the other.

I am fortunate in that I work where I live. As a consequence, should I feel inspired, I am able to paint as soon as I wake. Other times it means I can wait until the moment is right and then remain at my canvass until the buzzard’s shrill cry cracks the sky, and the dawn breaks over the hills. Although music is an essential ingredient within my working space I love the quiet isolation of the countryside. I often take the time to breathe in the beauty that surrounds me to let it seep into the life-blood of my work.

Perhaps I do see the world through rose-colored glasses, but that’s the way I like it, and that’s what I love to share.