Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Harrell and co-written by Kelly Absher.
Hi Melissa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a Knoxville, Tennessee artist that specializes in watercolor and acrylic painting. I live in West Knoxville with my husband and three girls. After graduating from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science, my husband and I moved to New York City. There, I discovered my passion and love for art. I studied at three amazing art schools: Watkins College of Art in Nashville, Tennessee, O’More College of Design in Franklin, Tennessee, and Parsons in New York City, New York.
Initially, when I set out to work I focused on commercial freelance design. After the birth of my children, I moved my focus to draw and paint, which was my true passion. I launched my art business with a mix of original art and commissions and now I sell collections of original art and fine art prints worldwide.
I have a designated space in our house for my studio. I create and run my business out of my home studio while homeschooling our three daughters. I feel I provide a great role model to our daughters. They see their mother running a business, doing the thing she loves, following her passion, and creating beautiful art to share with the world.
One of our favorite activities is painting together and I enjoy fostering and developing that creativity in them.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road was always pretty smooth, but the direction and path to take weren’t always clear.
After studying arts & sciences at UT, I felt led to pursue a career in art and had to make the tough decision to basically set aside half of my education. Again, after studying art at various schools, I had to choose a primary focus for what kind of art I wanted to create. The practical side of me has always fought the creative side, but building an art business requires both and I’m thankful to have mentors who helped me see that.
I would say the path forward was much clearer after my children were born. Having my girls gave me more confidence and a better direction for my life. I needed to choose what really mattered to me and what direction I wanted to go for my art. Motherhood can be heavy; giving so much to them with little time to myself, but finding my art again after having my girls was healing for me.
Now that I am also homeschooling my daughters, I can put both the art and science of my education into practice.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I create peaceful mountain and coastal landscapes inspired by the places I love; the beautiful Smoky Mountains, Blue Ridge Mountains, and the low country of South Carolina.
Most of my paintings invoke a feeling of nostalgia, a memory from the past, or remind me of someplace I love. Painting the places I love allows me to find peaceful moments and share that with others. I believe the very act of painting is a beautiful language that can connect us and help make life more meaningful.
We’re connected through our love of art and our love of the beautiful land that surrounds us.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Staying committed to loving what I do and running my business with care so that it doesn’t feel like work at all.
It’s an absolute joy to spend my day painting, printing, and shipping out beautiful art. What I’ve learned through motherhood and building a successful business is the only thing that will bring order to the chaos of each day is waking up ready to work diligently and do one’s very best.
Always have a direction to strive for and keep making progress towards who we are called to be.
Contact Info:
- Email: melissaharrellart@gmail.com
- Website: https://melissaharrellart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissaharrellart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissaharrellart
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MelissaHarrell
