MELISSA BROWN
Based in New York City, Melissa Brown is known for lushly layered prints, paintings, and mixed-media works, skillfully combining abstraction and representation to produce landscape scenes touched with surrealism. Using a variety of techniques, like airbrushing and collage, Brown’s works are full of floating rocks, undulating waves, radiant skies, and trees covered with bark composed of expressive faces.
Brown is represented by Derek Eller Gallery and has been exhibited across the US, Europe and the Americas in solo and group shows, and is part of The Whitney Museum of Art Public Collection.
Fascinated by patterns and drawing influence from sources high and low — including playing cards, coins, shell fragments and plein air landscape paintings — Melissa Brown utilized alta’s technology and expertise to digitally relief collage, incorporating a variety of digitized elements and mediums.
Inspired by a multitude of visions and passions, Brown’s Elegraph Print series consists of five works, each a Limited Edition of five prints – with the number five tying our collaboration to her oeuvre, through her love of poker.
“Working with the alta team was the most enjoyable part of the process. I thought you guys were a really great team and genuinely care about artist’s ideas and are interested. That was the best part about working together.”
Melissa Brown – Artist, NYC
Digital Relief Collage
Pushing the boundaries of alta’s scanning system, originally designed to scan and digitize painterly surfaces, Brown created a ‘collage board’ of items and trinkets that fascinate her. From old coins and novelty souvenirs to match sticks, bobby pins and shell fragments, we created a virtual version of Brown’s treasure chest of collage items.
Directed by the artist, our team embedded an assortment of virtual objects onto the foundation work, as well as embedding bas-relief plein air sketches into the mouth of the shell itself.
Sculpt and Elevate
At the foundation of Melissa Brown Elegraph™ print series is a smooth, beaming shell, that she hand-painted primarily using airbrushing techniques, carrying little to no relief in its physical form.
Working with alta’s 3D Artist and Art Production Specialist, Brown digitally sculpted a new dimension into her beach scene. From the subtle curvature of the shell’s body, to the protruding shell lips and the ripples emerging in the sand, significant elevation has been digitally sculpted into the final prints.
The Magic of Five
Inspired by the hand in a poker game, Brown’s Elegraph print series forms a set of five works, each an edition of five prints.
This connection also ties to the subtle refinements between the works, intentionally appearing to be a matching set – like anonymous matching playing cards. However, upon closer inspection viewers can delight in the differences between the plein air sketch, card and coin or shell.