North Carolina artist Melanie Norris’ paintings feature marks and washes on paper and canvas with collaged elements. From drive-by tent revivals on the side of a country road to portraits of people close to her to tangled gardens and clothing drying on a line, they evoke summertime and some strangeness—with a measure of tenderness and intimacy. She describes her work as a way to touch or connect to the soul of a place or person she is painting.
Norris lives and works in Asheville, North Carolina. She received her BA with honors from East Tennessee State University in 2012. Since then, her work has been exhibited widely at venues including The Other Art Fair (Brooklyn, NY), Springfield Museum of Art (MO), Haihatus Art Center (Finland), Betty Ray McCain Gallery (NC), William King Museum (VA), Wall Hop Gallery (Toronto), Bergdorf Goodman (NYC), Roanoke Artworks (VA), Clayton Center for the Arts (TN), Robert Lange Gallery (SC), and Studio Chavarria (NC). She was a TEDx Asheville presenter in 2015.