Melanie Goemans

 Melanie Goemans: ‘In my work I seek out overlooked, incidental forms in nature and through painting and printmaking I draw attention to them. I think there is a great beauty in the rambling, chaotic lines of tangled weeds or the overgrown, especially in contrast with the man-made forms around us. Finding out the history of places I am painting, I like to think these lines tell some of the stories, as if the past is making itself present through them. The materials I use are traditional – oil paint, gesso, linseed oil, etching, aquatint, gold leaf – and come from my interest in the history of art and wanting to connect with the past and see if I can use old materials in new ways. I like looking at complicated shapes and painting them with a very fine brush. The act of painting like this feels almost like stitching or weaving, and slowly with each brush-mark the work comes together. I used to think art had to be complex to be good, but with time I have realised that keeping things simple or paring them down can make a bigger statement.’

Melanie Goemans grew up in the Lincolnshire fens. She spent time in Italy before studying
Florentine Renaissance art at the Courtauld Institute, London and Fine Art at the School of Art, University of Gloucestershire. She went on to teach Art and History of Art and take up Artist in Residence posts in Cheltenham and Devon before settling in London. Melanie relocated to the Cambridgeshire fens with her young family in 2010 and now works from her studio in Ely. Over her career, Melanie has exhibited in group and solo shows across the UK at various venues including the Jerwood Space, Bridgeman Gallery, Rebecca Hossack Gallery and Florence Trust in London. Her work is held in corporate and private collections in the UK and overseas and has recently been selected for the National Open Art Competition; the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition; and the JohnMoores Painting Prize (second round).