Collectors Gallery | Melinda Giblett & Mellissa Read-Devine

Melinda Giblett is an Australian artist for whom the desire to preserve the significance and unique nature of the landscape is an essential subject of her work. She is known for her expressive paintings and drawings of the Australian bush and desert landscapes and works directly from nature on frequent hikes and expeditions. Her practice highlights the land, Country, as a model of resilience and hope.
The transformative effects of being on Country is a theme that continually inspires and drives her work. As the landscape appears in its unique state according to season, she harnesses her intuitive use of colour and the materiality of paint to present new ways of understanding environments.
Melinda is a graduate of COFA (UNSW-College of Fine Arts) beginning her career in Visual Arts education, teaching in Sydney and London before presenting her first solo exhibition at GAFFA gallery, Sydney in 2018. She has undertaken significant residencies at Bundanon-NSW and with the Broken Hill Art Exchange. Melinda will commence a month-long residency at Collemacchia in the region of Molise, Italy in 2024. Her work is held in international collections and in private collections across Australia.

Mellissa Read Devine paints a vision of colour and light as a vibrating whole. The shared influences of both painting and lino and wood-cut printing renders the river landscapes of her Hawkesbury home both fervent and immediate. Her large scale landscapes, florals and still lives are both vibrant and engulf, depicting a world where optimistic colour replaces darkness. Mellissa was born in England and as a child emigrated to Australia with her family. Her studio is set in a rural location overlooking the Hawkesbury River (NSW) and is inspiration for her paintings. For the past fifteen years she has continuously studied and practised painting and printmaking honing her art to perfection. The recipient of many Australian art prizes, Mellissa’s style is distinctive with her electric palette and layered application of brush strokes. These characteristics come together presenting unique representations admired by both Australian and international collectors alike.