The countryside, in its many guises, is at the heart of Melanie (Mel) William’s bold and uncompromising art. When she is not in her studio in rural Worcestershire, Mel is out and about in this beautiful county’s fields, farms and barns. Her intimate knowledge of nature and its ways is reflected in the freshness of her landscapes and in the solidity of the sheep, cattle, horses and cats that inhabit her paintings.
“I live surrounded by animals and find myself drawn towards the cycle of birth and death. As I struggle with their constant movement, their dignity fascinates me” she says.
Whilst Mel’s work is mainly pictorial - describing the animals in whatever state she finds them - it does, from time-to-time, become issue based and her moving series on foot and mouth is certainly thought provoking. “My pictures are not designed to shock, simply to give new insight into animals whose lives are hard and often forgotten or overlooked,” she says.
The countryside was not always for Mel. Her training began at Farnham School of Art, followed by a BA in Fine Art at Hornsey College of Art in London. She continued her training at the Royal Academy of Art in London where she was awarded the David Murray Studentship and also received the prestigious, Sir David Walker Award. Her rural location came much later when she and her husband moved their young family to the Worcestershire Herefordshire borders and her love affair with nature began.
Art lessons
Mel is also a teacher. She has an ATC qualification from Goldsmith’s College and has taught fine art at a number of academic institutions. She currently teaches scholarship students at a local Worcestershire prep school and mentors ‘The Martley Art Group’ - a group of local artists she established some 16 years ago and which exhibits regularly. She is happy to give private tuition and to instruct groups of students on established art holidays both in the UK and overseas.
