Along with her Italy scenes Melinda paints what moves her, whether it be muscle cars, astronomic wonders, wildlife, dogs, New England architecture, sports, still life, seascapes or scenes from her backyards in Maine and Massachusetts as well. Her quick gestural pen and ink "travel sketches" are the foundation for her paintings.  She has been gesture sketching since 1980 in undergraduate school at UMASS Dartmouth. Melinda is a self taught painter. Her studies at UMASS Dartmouth afforded her a strong 2D and 3D foundation. However, during her undergraduate years the painting classes offered were popular and always full.   She sees things in color and mass and considers herself a romantic expressionistic painter who does not allow herself to be distracted by detail.   Her works are said to be like poems, vibrant, colorful, radiating, have something for everyone and heavily influenced by the Post Impressionists. Melinda describes her real experiences, journeys and adventures, with simplicity and complexity through the medium of acrylic paint on canvas. She notes, "My paintings are like time capsules for me, I remember them up until the moment.  My brush is merely a conduit to what I want to express."  Painting quick and in the moment,  she favors acrylic as a painting medium because of its drying immediacy. 
  
    Melinda was born in 1962 and raised in Massachusetts.  Melinda moved to Maine independently in 1988 at the urging of her childhood friend who had moved to Kennebunkport.    Melinda came to Maine not only at the urging of her friend but also for a job to gain experience teaching art. It was her intention of moving back to her hometown in Massachusetts within a few years. Those few years have  turned into 21 years of living in Maine. Melinda is a practicing art educator and has been sharing her love for art with young children since 1988. "  I have not only evolved as a teacher and person but also as an artist." Melinda's community involvement projects such as taking the task as Art Director for a 700 ft. neighborhood inner-city re-beautification mural in 1990 and donating many of her prints to charitable auctions have been life altering and very rewarding experiences for her.    She has found Maine to be a beautiful place to live. It is an artist's haven with many opportunities and subjects to paint.   She recently realized, "I now know why I came to Maine - to have my daughters, raise them here and to become the artist I have always wanted to become." 
   
   Melinda graduated from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 1988 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts - Art Education.   In 2004 Melinda graduated from the University of New England Biddeford with a Master of Science in Education.   She resides in Central Maine with her daughters.