“Painting is something I not only enjoy doing, but something I need to do. It is a language of color and tone that brings richness to my soul. It becomes a spiritual act of worship while I marvel at the beauty of Creation. It is an expression of what I choose to see and process in this world.”—
Meet the Artist –
Melanie Miller Stokes is an artist, a teacher, a wife, a mother, a mother-in- law, a grandmother and a friend. She was born in Macon, Georgia, grew up in Statesboro, graduated with B.A. in Communications from Shorter College in Rome, Georgia and earned an M.Ed. in Art Education from Georgia Southern University. Retired from 26 years of teaching in Georgia public schools, twenty of those as an Art Teacher, she now pursues her passion for painting in her Central Texas studio and en plein air.
After her sons left for college, there was opportunity to attend workshops and develop painting skills. Many paintings of homes, animals, people, and special places have been commissioned and are purchased by collectors throughout the U.S. She has been represented by galleries in Blue Ridge, Washington, Eatonton and Thomson, Georgia, and Daufuskie Art of Daufuskie Island, SC. And with the move to Texas, she sold in Studio Gallery, Cultivate 712, and White Elephant of Waco.
In November 2018, she and her husband relocated to Waco, Texas, to be near family and grandchildren. With a Mart, TX address, they live on 29 acres with wide open Texas sky! Painting en plein air has been a great way to become familiar with a new environment!
Since 2019 member –
- Oil Painters of America
- Outdoor Painters Society
- American Impressionist Society
- Professional Artists of Central Texas (PACT)
Solo Shows:
- Cultural Activities Center, Temple, TX – September 2023 – “From the Ground Up! – Carvings and Canvas in a Duo Show
- Solo Show at Degallery, Bryan TX – March 2023 “Glory Fills the Skies!”
- Solo Show at Warehouse Living Arts Center, Corsicana, TX-August 2022 “Glory Fills The Skies!”
- Solo Show at Sacred Heart Cultural Center “Back Roads, Back Yards, Back Home”-Augusta, GA November/December 2017
- Solo Show at Legends Gallery- May 2016 “Back Roads, Back Yards, Back Home” -Averitt Center for the Arts – Statesboro, GA
- Solo Show at Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce Offices 2016- Augusta, GA
Juried Exhibitions:
- PACT Shows 2024 – Round Rock Arts, Winnsboro Center for the Arts, Woodlands Art Gallery, Degallery
- Outdoor Painters Society Associates Members Show – Corsicana TX 2024
- ART EDU – Art Center Waco, Waco, TX 2024
- Small Y’all! – RTown Gallery, Grapevine, TX 2024
- Rio Brazos Art Show 2024 – Tarleton University Art, Granbury TX
- Eclipse: Shining Shadows – Art Center Waco, Waco, TX 2024
- Art Hop, October 2023, Georgetown, TX
- Granbury Art Association 2023- Second Act Gallery
- Bosque Museum – Sights and Sites Show 2023 – 3rd place
- PACT Shows 2023 – Art Center Waco, Waco, TX, and Degallery
- Brownwood Art Association – Brownwood TX, Texas Landscapes 2023
- DeGart Grand Event 2023 – Degallery, Bryan TX
- PACT Shows 2022 – Graham, TX, Sistrunk Gallery – Waco, Center for Cultural Arts – Temple, TX,
- Paint Texas! – Live Oak Art Center – Columbus, TX 2022 and 2023
- Lost Pines Gallery – 12×12 Show
- PACT Show – DeGallery, Bryan, TX June-August, 2021
- PACT Show – Warehouse Living Arts Center, Corsicana, TX May 2021
- PACT Show – Breckenridge Fine Arts Center, Breckenridge, TX April 2021
- Primary Primavera – Visual Arts Society at Degallery, Bryan TX March 2021
- Symbols of Texas in Art – Degallery, Bryan, TX February 2021
- Outdoor Painters Society Associate Members’ Sale August 2020, 2021, 2022
- Plein Air Southwest – Galveston, TX May 2021
- Brazos Fine Art Show- Waco, TX, 2019
- Outdoor Painters Society Associate Members’ Sale August 2019 – Corsicana, TX
- Sacred Reflections – December 2018 – Cultivate712 Gallery, Waco, TX
- Plein Air South Exhibit – May-June 2018 – The Joe Cultural Arts Center, Port St. Joe, FL
- The Art of Georgia III – Celebrating Home – January to May 2018 – the Governor’s Ceremonial Office – Georgia State Capitol Building – Atlanta, GA
- Lake Country Fine Arts Show 2017 – Artisan’s Village Gallery, Eatonton, GA
- Women Painter’s of the Southeast 2017 Online Exhibition
- Coastal Scapes of Glynn Visual Arts 2016 – Saint Simons Island, GA
- Fort Frederica Exhibit 2016- Glynn Visual Arts – Saint Simons Island, GA
- Exhibit of Greater Augusta Arts Council – Augusta Municipal Building
- Community Gallery of Augusta – 600 Broad Street
- Kudzu Art Gallery Open Invitational 2014 – Norcross, GA
- GAEA (GA Art Educators’ Association) Members Juried Art Exhibitions:
-Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts – Valdosta, GA
-The Lyndon House – Athens, GA
-Savannah College of Art and Design – Savannah, GA
-Capitol Art Exhibit: Secretary of State’s Office – Atlanta, GA
Public Art Projects:
- Painted seven foot guitar (Camellia City Blues) for McTell’s 12 String Strut Public Art Project in Thomson, GA 2015
- Painted two murals in Long County, GA, funded through Grassroots Arts Program grants:
– designed and directed Chamber of Commerce Historic Timeline Mural on the outside of a building
– co-painted Long County Senior Adult Center Dining Room Mural – A Look Outside - Painted Children at Play on the walls of the Washington-Wilkes Primary School Gym, Washington, GA
