Melanie Goemans
Melanie Goemans “In the early morning I walk between the railway line and the river. Small seasonal shifts, incidental things we might rush past usually, become more noticeable walking the same paths like a ritual. I look at what is permanent and fixed, and what is transient and temporary, and conclude that everything is changing, even in this moment. What I photograph and paint is not there now and the painting becomes like a ghost, a trace of a memory of something that inevitably will never be exactly the same again. I trace lines loosely with a fine square ended brush, and the marks build up the complicated patterns of the whole. Using traditional materials and composition, my work gives these fleeting moments status and draws attention to their value.”
Melanie Goemans grew up in the Lincolnshire fens, spending time in Italy before studying Florentine Renaissance Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art (BA and MA) followed by Fine Art, Painting at Cheltenham School of Art (MA). After a series of residencies and teaching posts, she relocated from London to Cambridgeshire and now works from her studio in central Ely. Over her career, Melanie has exhibited in group and solo shows across the UK including the Florence Trust, London; Jerwood Space, London; Bridgeman Gallery, London and Cornwall Contemporary, Penzance. Her work is held in corporate and private collections in the UK and overseas and has been selected for the National Open Art Competition, the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition and the John Moores Painting Prize (2020).
