Melissa Lundell: Healing Hands
Melissa Lundell is a Contemporary Artist based in Alberta, Canada. Lundell’s photorealistic colored pencil hand drawings explore her expression of intense emotions in her hands, which is also inspired by her journey of healing from childhood trauma. Through her work, Melissa shines a light on the beauty found in brokenness and the strength of authenticity. She invites her audience to embrace vulnerability as a path to freedom and connection, using art not only as a means of self-expression but as an act of empowerment.
How did your creative journey begin?
I cannot point out a distinct beginning to my creative journey. I’ve always loved to draw and paint, and in my youth, I worked hard to develop my skills in realism, welcoming any kind of direction and instruction available to me. I grew up in a rural community on the Alberta Prairies, which offered lots of time in nature to explore and feed my daydreaming habit.
I am very observant, and I have always been a dreamer. I’m not sure that those two things go together very cohesively at times, but I believe that my daydreaming enhanced my skills in observation. The ability to see, and therefore produce an honest representation of the sight, has always been very important to me. It is as though the participation in what I could see proved my belonging to it, which is an almost universal comfort.
I’ve gone through drastic transformations in my creative practice in the last few years and so I believe I might still be in the beginning of my creative journey. Or perhaps I will always feel that way, even though I am somewhere in the middle.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I draw inspiration from my own journey of healing from childhood trauma and abuse. Since I was a child, I always felt extreme emotions in my hands, sometimes before I acknowledged the feelings. I believe that my body was always trying to tell me things about myself, and so I thought it fitting that my hands serve as the subjects to tell my story. I continue to draw and paint in realism, as it is still a necessity for me to practice my belonging in reality. Occasionally my work will move into surrealism when the story behind the work requires it.
How has your work evolved over the last few years?
I once found inspiration in anything that was beautiful or ‘praiseworthy’, and ignored signs of age, rot or decay in my work. Upon entering adulthood and realising that I had trauma I needed to heal from, my work changed from subjects of near perfection, to subjects which tell stories of my own triggers & trauma. This is how the Hand Series began.
I grew up believing that I deserved the treatment I received in the name of “love,” and so I hid the abuse from any outsiders. The masquerade and self-denial produced serious consequences in my overall health. When I began to pay attention to these physical symptoms, I realised that my body had always been signalling to me that something was wrong and that I was not safe. I decided that it was time to focus on the unsightly and the brokenness and shame. It was time to sit in patience with the underdeveloped parts of myself and begin to heal.
What does a typical day in the studio look like for you, and how has your art practice grown or changed?
Since I became a mother, I have only a few hours a week that I can spend in the daylight working in my studio, and so each day is very different. It depends on what is on my drawing table or easel, or what my soul needs in the moment. Sometimes I need to write, and not draw. Real life is wonderful fuel for the art, but sometimes I need to apply a filter and sort through it before it can be translated into my work.
As Mary Pratt said, “the art is only as successful as the life. And a life that can’t cope with life itself is not of much use.” I am thus contented in my few hours a day in my studio, even though I often only burn the midnight oil. Life is fuel for the art, and the kind of life and love in my home is the kind that freed me.
Which experiences have impacted your work as an artist?
The childhood and complex trauma I experienced directly impacted my work as an artist throughout my life. When I was creating picture perfect works, I was creating for someone else whose praise and love I desperately sought. Now that I’ve realised the importance of taking back my stolen voice, I am telling my story.
I will endeavor to be forever grateful that my trauma was realised as a direct result of being unconditionally loved by my husband and his family. I married my (junior) high school sweetheart, and the real life that we’ve lived in these last 8 years has had the greatest impact on my work as an artist.
How has social media impacted your work?
Social media has at times been a difficult place for me to show up responsibly, as I struggle with anxiety and depression. However, social media has also been a beautiful place where I have met the most incredible people and wonderful artists. I have recently been focusing on building my community on social media to include these gems, and I have been so grateful for the exchange of love and support which I would not otherwise have in an art community.
What drew you to your chosen medium?
I love working in coloured pencil because I can achieve a high level of realism, but I can walk away from it at any moment. The subject matter of my recent work is sensitive and often difficult for me to work through. Because of this, I had to take frequent breaks, and since I was working in coloured pencil, it never hurt anything to simply put down a pencil and walk away, as opposed to putting away paint that would dry out, solvents that would dissipate, or an unfinished layer on the work which may have to be redone when I returned. Since becoming a mother, the convenience has only become more appealing.
Website: www.melissalundell.com