Meet Melissa Termini | Artist & Art Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melissa Termini and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I decided to pursue an artistic career because of the impact art has had on me personally. In high school, art class was a peaceful place to breakaway from anxieties to hone a craft that developed perseverance, confidence, and contemplation. Since then, I have found that the benefits of creating art reach beyond the studio, influencing both my life and the lives of others.
As both an artist and educator, I am inspired by the interdisciplinary nature of art and its unique ability to enrich lives. For example, while my primary focus is painting, my studies of ceramics, metal casting, welding, and printmaking have broadened my visual, conceptual, and personal ideas in ways that would not have if I had kept to painting alone. Casting metal is something that especially expanded my sense of capability, which led to further lovely experiences like curating an exhibition to celebrate the work of my metal casting cohort and I.
The interdisciplinary mindset extends to all areas of my life. From co-founding a Badminton Sports Club in university, to leading a line dancing workshop, competing in an all female art battle in the LA Arts District, to live painting at the Pancakes and Booze Art Show, saying yes to each unique experience introduces me to new people and perspectives, with both strengthens my art and my connections to others.
Ultimately, I began pursuing art because it is something I enjoy and find refuge in. Through teaching, creating, exhibiting, and collaborating, I have developed an interdisciplinary mindset I strive to use to offer students an enriching art experience, and guidance to lead a life that integrates creativity as a mode for positive impact.
I strive to use creativity as a mode for positive impact across disciplines. Arts’ special ability to reach people in a personal and beautiful way is why I continue to pursue it.

Please tell us more about your art. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
What excellent questions! I consider myself an interdisciplinary artist, but my greatest passion belongs to oil painting. I start my oil paintings by pulling from reference imagery that intrigues me. I then develop a meaning and form decisions of color palette and intentional abstractions to exaggerate realistic features and push a narrative through a painterly style. Through that process, I investigate how formal art elements communicate my intention, while at the same time remaining subtly covert.
Visually, my work is informed by the visual applied aesthetic of the historical movements of Surrealism in conjunction with formal elements of Realism. Unlike Surrealism, most of the elements in my art are symbolic, and unlike Realism, my art does not reject fiction. I am also inspired by Agnes Pelton and her luminous abstractions of nature. My background in realistic artworks, in combination with strategies of Organic Abstraction, intermingle to form a flowing painterly style, in which movement is displayed.
Each painting explains an experience I have had through illustrative narrative. At the same time, they invite the viewer to interpret a moral from the story by either coming to understand my experience, or relating it to one of their own. I create pieces that both satisfy me visually and communicate meanings that are important to me.
Getting to where I am professionally required dedication and trust in the process. During my undergrad, I took every opportunity to explore, often going beyond what was required. When I wanted to pursue something not offered, I found a way to make it happen. For example, while working two jobs, full-time classes, and an internship, I curated a group show and a solo show, all while preparing for graduation. I will not lie, it is a demanding lifestyle, but the friendships, memories, growth, and impacts that came from it are always worth the effort.
Trusting the process has been essential, especially during difficult times. Sometimes our weakest moments are when we show the greatest strength. A personal example of this occurred a few years ago after a major auto accident left me with injuries. With only a week and a half before the semester, it was a rough time of doctors appointments, X-rays, and searching for another car. With lowered immunity, I contracted COVID-19 shortly after. Testing negative the day before school, I entered the semester wearily with a concussion, tinnitus, and extreme back pain. Despite the burdens, I pushed forward.
During that time, I created a painting inspired by my experience, titled, “Curve,” which is a part of my “Experiential Nature” series. The piece related the struggle of feeling stuck at the bottom of a canyon, but still seeing a light above, with the extensive process of healing. “Curve” went on to be exhibited in my university’s Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition, the Pershing Square Building Art Show in DTLA, and was accepted into the Northridge Review.
Another painting, “Audible Silence,” developed from my ongoing experience with tinnitus. For research, I interviewed others with the condition and used sound waves of the title as a visual reference. The painting depicts the hope for natural serenity while coming to terms with the fact that perfect silence is physically unattainable. The painting was also exhibited in the Pershing Square Building Art Show, and accepted into the Northridge Review. Through these artworks, I have learned a form of processing that creates persistent peace and acceptance.
I hope to encourage others to say yes to things that take them outside their comfort zones. That trip into the unknown may be rich with exciting experiences to learn, grow, process, and cultivate a deeper appreciation for life and its joyous vibrance.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Funny enough, I had this exact experience last summer when my childhood penpal visited from out of state for the first time! During her one week here, she got quite an LA experience: an earthquake, a fire off the side of the road, a bear on a hiking trail in the Sequoias, the bustle of Hollywood, the peace of the beach, the west coast staple In-N-Out burger, a trip to Disneyland, a variety of coffee shops, and a visit to the duck pond. To my surprise, we even bumped into one of her favorite rappers in Koreatown! For her twenty-first birthday, we headed to Tokyo Nights at Lucky Mizu, but an unexpected turn of events landed us in a hidden speakeasy complete with dim lighting, secret passages, and a surprise piano performance! When the pianist and singer found out it was her birthday, he serenaded her and got her a drink! If we had more time, I would have taken her to the Griffith Observatory to see the city lights. It was a whirlwind of a week, and a reminder of how layered Los Angeles is.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate this shoutout to the art teacher I had in high school, Ms. Michelle. Her patient and caring personality coupled with her artistic skill and masterful teaching ability led me to pursue a career where I strive to impact others lives as she did mine.

She has had an influential impact on my life by being a positive light throughout ups and downs, and teaching me life skills as well as art skills by mentoring and by her good example. I could rely on her for honest feedback and insightful advice from her expertise and personal experiences. I am incredibly grateful for her continued support, and enjoy our intermittent catch ups. I aim to emulate her by being a positive light to others.

Website: www.theartbymelissa.weebly.com

Instagram: art.bymelissa

Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/theartbymelissa

Image Credits
Colby Bangasser