Melissa Loop - Painter

 Getaway House, 2011

acrylic and enamel

9x11”

Melissa Loop

Name: Melissa Loop
City/State: Minneapolis, MN
Email: melissaloopartist@yahoo.com
Website: www.melissaloop.com

Bio- 

I am an artist living and working in Minneapolis. I received my BFA at the

Minneapolis College of Art and Design in fall 2005 and was awarded the

Vanderlip Travel Grant for Fine Arts. Last fall I was featured in New American

Paintings as well as DMAG in Argentina. I've been in numerous shows around

the country and this fall I am having my first two solo shows. The first is at the

Soo VAC and the other is at Breeze Block Gallery in Portland OR.

Congrads China, 2011

acrylic and enamel

60x36

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this

different from past projects?

My work explores specific ideas of Utopia as it directly relates to globalized

culture's search and attempt at perfection in cities, parks, vacation destinations,

and the internet's digital landscapes. My latest fascinations are the special

places built for the jet-setter crowds in exotic places so that no matter how poor

the country the rich can be driven around from one beautiful location to another

without having to experience the real place at all.

"What is Art?" is certainly too big of a question to ask here, but what do you

hope your audience takes away from your art? What statement do you hope to

make?

My work is an experiment of ideas. They all start as “what if...” They are only a

statement in the way that the pieces communicate my vision for that particular

moment. The way I see and experience the world is communicated through my

work but it changes where ever it is placed and by whomever sees it. I do not

bother thinking of statements.

Mixing Old and New, 2011

acrylic and enamel

36x34”

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?

MAKE WORK!!! (thanks Kinji)

Tell me about your work space and your creative process.

I have a space in Northeast above Fox Tax. It's one of those last remaining

spaces that is just a huge gritty loft space that is divided into studios.

My creative process starts with an idea of a place. Then I go to google images

and get screen shots of the buildings and landscapes of the area to be re-

imagined as more perfect and a little ominous. The paintings are sketched out

before hand with only little tweaks. This allows me to be very free in the way a

choose to handle the paint and in each painting I am shifting my focus around a

different painting obstacle that I give myself.

St Tomas All Inclusive, 2011

acrylic and enamel

24x36”

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?

Andréa Stanislav http://www.andreastanislav.com/

Ute Bertog http://www.utebertog.com/

Carolyn Swiszcz http://www.carolynswiszcz.com/

Alexa Horochowski http://www.galeriabm.com/

If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we

go? What would we see?

The Walker and MIA are both a great place to spend a day. There are a couple

exhibits opening soon that Im excited about. The first is at Midway Contemporary Art

and the other is at Fox Tax. Also MAEP always puts on an excellent show as well

as Dressing Room.

Where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or

to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise?

A great resource is Painters Table it contains links to all of the major art blogs

and their articles about painters. I love Beautiful Decay and Hyperallergic as well.

The Patagonia Reconfigured, 2011

acrylic and enamel

48x36”

Do you have any exhibits to promote in the near future?

\I have a show opening at Soo VAC September 10th, 2011 called Jet-Setter Hideaways:

The Utopian Propaganda as well as another solo show opening October 6th in

Portland Oregon at the Breeze Block gallery.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

I want to start creating a body of work around one place a time to get a better

sense of the nuances in it.