Montana
Melissa DiNino, Katie, watercolor, 18 x 24.
Art Education: Self-taught.
Style: Realistic, naturalistic, narrative, figurative. I struggle with labels, but my work probably falls somewhere in there.
Creative Spark: I’ve always been drawn to rural landscapes where I find space to breathe, think, and connect. Currently I’m diving into the spiritual connection between women and horses, including both the challenges and the healing that can be found in this relationship.
Other Passions: Horseback riding, horse/mule pack trips, dogsledding, and gardening.
Best Advice Received: When I first started working as a range rider, a mentor and dear friend taught me some of the subtleties of tracking wolves and grizzlies. She told me, “Focus on nothing. See everything.” I continue to carry those words with me and find they have weight in just about every corner of my life.
Pet Peeve: Finding dog and horse hair in my palette and paintings.
Future Goals: One big goal is to have a large studio space of my own. Right now I live and work out of a 300-square-foot dry cabin with my partner and two dogs, and my workspace is a small desk—it really limits the size of what I can create. Also, I’m trying to push myself to dig deeper and allow more emotion to flow through my work.
Price Range: $1,000 to $20,000.
Representation: www.melissadinino.com.
This story was featured in the September 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
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