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About Lia Melia
I had a wonderful teacher who taught me that no matter how technically good an artist is, if they do not paint from the heart and soul, they said nothing. I paint because I have to, and from the heart, and I hope this shows.
My medium is unique, developed over many years. I
use powder pigments and solvents and bake them onto aluminium, (mainly for speed
of drying) or, occasionally, glass. I use fluid mixes which need high levels of
control; for more figurative work I thicken the medium, which makes it easier to
work. I love experimenting.
I live near Cambridge with 4 beautiful young Burmese cats. I like to walk, work
out, garden, engage with nature, and I study a range of subjects. Mythology has
been a life long love, and very often my paintings are about elemental forces as
represented by the gods.
Poetry often supplies me with ideas, and it will be apparent to anyone that I
love Yeats!
Beadwork is another avenue for my creativity. I often work with sculptural forms, and love playing with colour and shapes in an unusual way. Currently I am developing a unisex collection, using heavy metal beads and crystals.
Recently, I have designed lamps; glass paintings, mounted onto a wooden cube.
More about the medium
It took many years of experimentation to develop the techniques needed to use my medium. I love the cold surfaces, liking people to touch in order to feel the different textures. I am often asked if it is an enamel; it isn't, but has an enamel-like quality, being as hard an an enamel when thoroughly cured. The surface, when new, can be damaged if hard surfaces come up against it , but after curing will not need to be treated any differently to an oil painting. An oil painting can take up to a year to thoroughly harden, the same can be true of my work if paint is very thickly applied. A new painting should be hung and left to harden. It is lightfast, and can be cleaned with a damp cloth and a drop of washing up liquid in the cleaning water.
Contact
You can contact me on email; lia_melia@hotmail.com
A member of Cambridge Open Studios, open weekends 2-3 in July, my studio is also open by appointment throughout the year. Much ex-gallery stock and smaller pieces are available at artist's prices.
I supply work for Project Art (www.projectart.co.uk; Tel +44 (0)20 7386 0040); a London based company who deal almost exclusively with interior designers and architects, principally in hotels, offices, private houses and yachts.