My name is Melanie Cossey. I am a British Columbian born and raised artist and writer and as such I am enthralled by the beauty of my surroundings and culture. West Coast culture is full of the mysticism of lush rainforests, sacred lakes and oceans and the rhythmic rains so quintessential to the ecosystem.  I feel that my writings and paintings have been greatly influenced by my unique region. Many childhood days were spent in nature-- in creek beds, climbing trees, running through the rain, swimming in oceans and hiking through the rainforests all around BC.

My paintings reflect my love of my terrain. Grant's Storm for instance is a lake on an Indian Reserve near Burns Lake BC, that I once visited with my now deceased boyfriend Grant in the summer of '89.

The Quarry is a tribute to my favorite swimming hole which is a sacred place on Texada Island BC.

In my early days of sketching, I delighted in hopping on my bicycle with my sketch pad and drawing a scene from whichever place I ended up. Victoria BC was a destination often visited as a child with my family and later in life with my husband. Some of my early sketches include the North Shore's own Grouse Mountain and Craigdarroch Castle, a beautiful landmark on Vancouver Island. This place is so close to my heart that I have also written an article about its history and beauty. You can find the link to my writing on my links page.

After enjoying a successful "career" as a freelance writer, boasting over 25 articles published on the Internet and in magazines, I suddenly and strongly changed my focus from writing to art.

I am of Romanian/Flemish/English descent and consider myself very blessed to have inherited the artistic gene from the Flemish side of my family. My Great Grandfather on my Father's side was a fantastic artist and our family recently inherited his sketches and the sketches and paintings of his daughter (my Grandmother).

 My Grandmother, Jeanne Rovers was an artist in her own right. Her sketches showed lots of promise and she delighted in portraiture. For reasons unknown, she gave up her art shortly after bearing her last of four children and unfortunately never picked it up again. She obviously kept her love of art close to her heart though, because she sent my father off to art school at a young age. My father Stephen developed his own natural talent for all things artistic, finding his niche in cartooning and expanding to pottery, woodworking, soapstone carving, mural painting and graphic art. In spite of showing immense talent in the arts, my father decide to pursue a career as an electrical engineer, something that would provide a more solid income for raising a family.

Like my Grandmother before him, my father also transferred his love of the arts onto his children. My sister Lisa, myself and my brother Trevor were raised with a high focus on the arts. I was recalling this Christmas how much it was a tradition for me to receive books and art supplies for Christmas and my birthday. My father would lead us in many art sessions at home either around the kitchen table or down in his workshop. I still have the scar from where I cut myself trying to carve the arm of a marionette we were each making one summer.

And so the tradition continued. My sister went on to earn an arts degree at the local college and I launched myself into a career of a different artistic expression--Dog Grooming. My brother expressed his creativity through model building and went on in life to own a successful hobby store where he does his art in the form of advertising and graphic design.

Interspersed throughout my career as a dog groomer, I began writing articles for dog magazines and the Internet. I also expanded into writing poetry and began working on a few novels. I am currently working on a novel that takes place in North Vancouver BC in 1910.

It wasn't until early in '02 that I began thinking about painting again. Up until this time I had contented myself in hauling out my oil paints from high school that my parents had bought me, and churning out a painting every 5 or 6 years, just as a means to relax. I did the painting Tranquil Garden in 1990. When my then roommate saw it she was greatly impressed and insisted I show it to her fiancee's mother who was an artist. She encouraged me to pursue my art as she felt it showed promise. This was the beginnings of the seeds to be planted in my head. Later that year my friend was married and as a wedding present I painted her a painting of two women tilling a herb garden. Unfortunately I don't have that an image of that painting.

I didn't paint again until 1993 when I did the first painting of The Quarry. Again, I impressed a friend of mine with it who himself had accompanied my husband and I to the Quarry for a swim. The water of the Quarry is very sacred and he claimed that I captured it just right. I was starting to entertain the idea that I may have some talent to build on, but I wasn't yet ready to focus on my art.

In 2001 I would paint my next painting, a copy of The Quarry that I intended to give to a dear friend of mine at the time. However the friendship ended rather suddenly and I was left with the painting and feeling rather glad about it as I was quite attached to it. In comparing the two Quarry paintings I discovered the improvements and once again thought that perhaps I might be able to develop my talents and see where they lead me.

Not long after this time, my sister had her art in a gallery and invited me to the opening. In walking around and looking at the work, my sister and husband encouraged me by pointing out that my work had as much merit as the other artists in the gallery. I took this to heart and started investing in canvases and updating my old and dried out paints. I would next paint Grant's Storm from a photograph I took in '89. I received a lot of encouragement and then within that same year went on to paint The Hummingbird.

I began to talk about my art casually with people I met on the Internet. One friend I showed my art to convinced me that I showed tremendous talent. He began setting up a meeting with me with an online gallery. I was blown away by his confidence in me. It was then that I finally accepted my talents and a switch flicked in me where I became completely dedicated to focusing on and improving my art.

My next painting Peony Triad was completed last year in November of '04. I continued showing my work around to friends on the Internet. This landed me a handful of requests for commissions and I was off and running. I entered my first art show in December with the Pepper Series, Jalepeno Jumble, Purple Phenomenon and Cherry Pepper Chic and lo and behold I sold a painting! I also sold my first commissioned work that month, Cherry Tree.

In November my sister introduced me to a website called www.wetcanvas.com I was absolutely enthralled with this online community of artists, all freely sharing their works and tips and instructions. I began learning and absorbing information at an quick rate. I started networking with other artists. My talent increased by measurable leaps and bounds.

I want to take some space here and publicly give my thanks and appreciation to several artists, family and friends that have greatly influenced my life and art.

First thanks goes to my dear husband Greg who has supported me throughout the last 13 years of my life in ways that are immeasurable. Greg you are my pillar of light and strength. Without you I wouldn't have made it this far.

Thanks goes to Mom and Dad for always encouraging me and supporting me in everything I do. You've made it to everyone of my plays and always stood on the sidelines to cheer me on.

Thanks to my sister Lisa for your kind tips and moral support and for always forging the path ahead of me so I would have a beacon to follow through the woods.

Thanks to my children for your sacrifices and accepting and loving me as I am and understanding my need to be creative.

Thanks to Dax for your patience and friendship and for painstakingly taking the time to trouble-shoot my paintings with me, especially my Peppers series.

Thanks to Paul for your valuable advice and knowledge. Thanks for providing a shining example of what someone can do through self education. Your friendship and support mean so much to me.

Thanks to Ray for your brutal criticism. I always appreciate an honest opinion.

Thanks to George for your love and support. 

Thanks to Heather and Matt for your endless encouragement, friendship and support. My first real "fans" :)

To other friends and family, too numerous to mention, thank you for all the ways you have encouraged me and believed in me and made it known in both subtle and obvious ways. I love you all !