Melynda Van Zee Art Booth
Laumeier Sculpture Park Art Fair St. Louis, MO May, 2017

Creating paintings that resonate with viewers, paintings that hold the viewers attention and bring them back again for another look, is a major goal of every painter. I spent the winter months this year buried in my Iowa studio creating a new body of work and now I’ve started to share it publicly. I’m two art shows in for the year. In the last month I’ve been to my first show in St. Louis, MO at the Laumeier Sculpture Park and participated in a show on the downtown streets of Iowa City, IA.

One of the major benefits to artists exhibiting at an art fair is getting direct feedback from your audience and customers. I’ve learned to observe my visitors and listen closely to their feedback. I’ve also started to jot down some of their comments and observations for me to reflect on later. They are teaching me about my own work. They ask inquisitive questions and as I answer their questions they help me to become more articulate about my work and techniques. Creating a painting is much more of a solitary pursuit, interacting with the general public in my art booth is not.

Melynda Van Zee Art Booth
Iowa Arts Festival Iowa City, Iowa June, 2017

Observations, Questions and Comments from the road so far this year…

“I feel like you are inside my head.”

“There is so much depth here.”

“You’re my kind of painter.”

“Looks like lots of spontaneity there- I like that…to see surprises.”

“Calming and soothing, yet full of life bubbling up.”

“It’s just like free… so free.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I love your stuff. It’s so vibrant!”

From a trio of college friends… “Groovy!”   “It’s crazy stuff!”   “Rad!”

“What is the name of your method? What about the ‘Van Zee Free Method’?”

Melynda Van Zee Art Booth Iowa Arts Festival Iowa City, IA June, 2017

And, lots of questions about technique…

“Is it glue?”

“Is it Elmer’s?”

“Is it wax?”

“Is it encaustic?”

Close Up of Painting Technique using Acrylic Mediums and Paints

To which I answer… “No, it is all acrylic mediums and paints”.

“Really??? Cause I didn’t even know acrylic could do anything like this?”

Studio close up of creating the first layer of line work

And, then I start to notice which paintings people are gravitating toward and which paintings they look at for a long time and which paintings they point out and talk about to their friends or family.

This year I’ve noticed there is one painting that consistently gets feedback. It is the painting titled “Unraveled Fears”.

Unraveled Fears
Acrylic on Canvas
48 x 36
Melynda Van Zee © 2017
Available for purchase by contacting [email protected]

Some comments about “Unraveled Fears”…

“It looks like a tornado of love.”

“I think it is an elephant.”

“Looks like female anatomy parts to me.”

“It’s a tornado. I know it’s a tornado!”

“Have you ever in your life stood in front of a painting for such a long time?” From two college age musicians who spent a good half hour studying the painting

And, an interchange between a mom and her high school age son…(which so appropriately happened on Mother’s Day)

Son: “I think it is going up.”

Mom: “No, it is going down.”

Son: “No, I am sure it is going up.”

Mom: “No. I am positive it is going down and I’m the mom so I am right!”

Melynda Van Zee at work painting “Unraveled Fears” in the studio

“Unraveled Fears” may be the painting that I wrestled with the most this winter. I spent so much time adding more layers to this painting and and it was the work I was the most hesitant to share. This seems to be a reoccurring experience for me- the paintings that resonate deeply with me, the ones that feel the most deeply personal, the pieces I’m concerned about sharing…end up being the paintings that elicit the most in-depth concentration and conversations. They draw people in for a longer look.

The work that resonates deeply with me, also resonates deeply with others.

And, once again, I am reminded and challenged of what I know to be true…that when artists create from that which is within, when they create from that which is authentic, when they allow their heart and soul to flow into the work, the work will resonate and the real conversations will begin and continue long into the future.

Melynda Van Zee in the studio adding final details to “Unraveled Fears”