Melinda Hartner.
Melinda was born and raised on the Monterey Peninsula in California. If you have ever been there, you know the streets of Carmel are lined with art galleries. She spent many a day enjoying the fabulous art.
Her mother’s best friend was one of those artists. She is still very much alive and lives in Lake Tahoe in a home filled with giant oil paintings that Melinda will always remember. It was her first inspiration to learn to paint.
In early attempts to paint, she was frustrated and found that photography was a lot easier. Hence, she began her career in photography, entering shows, attending workshops and publishing her work in magazines. She also did a little modeling as well as photographing models for their portfolios.
A natural extension was to learn make-up and she worked for a major cosmetic company for a period of time.
Melinda has studied under working artists and her dedication and hard work has resulted in a delightful result of bold color and style in her watercolors. She uses her photo skills when traveling in the US as well as Mexico and her love of images on film, to inspire her paintings.
She met and married a supportive husband, Gary Hartner, who makes the distinctive frames for her work. Melinda and Gary live in Lake Kiowa, TX and Melinda is active in several local painting groups, gathering strength and inspiration from her fellow artists. She displays her work, which is distinctive with a joyful use of color, at local shows, shops and exhibitions.
Media: Watercolor