CARAVAN Arts
Jul 27, 20201 min
© Melissa Strickler, Just Wear the Damn Mask, 2020, Oil on canvas, 40" x 60"
The title was a little challenging...I thought maybe, "For the Love of Grandma, Wear a Mask!" Then there is the thoughtfulness I see when others wear masks - protecting others as well as themselves, so I considered "Sacrificial Love." But when it came down to it, my title was inspired by those this week who are frustrated and pleading with their communities…"Just Wear the Damn Mask."
Sacredness, content, and color are important to Melissa Strickler. Whether it be traditional iconography, or the more contemporary collage, she tells a story through each piece of art. As an artist and iconographer, the mediums in which she chooses to work are very different, but the journey she takes to achieve a meaningful piece of art is consistently the same.
Originally from Colorado, and a few other moves along the way, including one expatriate locale, Melissa now calls Lander, Wyoming home. Her studio is nestled in the foothills of the Wind River Mountain Range. When Melissa is not making art, she can be found beekeeping, hanging with family and friends, or enjoying her time at ALCHEMY: an artists cooperative, which she has been member since it opened. Melissa is married with two grown children.