Megan Thomas-Melly

art inspired by internets

2011-04-06T05:05:00.000-07:00

CAT LYF. Watercolor and gouache on paper, 3 x 4.5" each, 2011.

These drawings are going to be on permanent display at Retrospect on South Street in Philadelphia. The honor is all mine (and a bunch of other amazing and beloved artists!)

baby art

2011-03-22T18:35:00.001-07:00

Bird house, avec bird

Bird house, avec cats

THE NURSERY!!!

detail

super detail

D $

2011-03-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

Dozer, acrylic, 5 x 7", 2010.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATE

2011-03-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

Cat Party, gouache and watercolor on paper, 6.5 x 8.25", 2011.

Hell's Bells

2010-11-20T12:08:00.000-08:00

Bella. Watercolor and gouache, 3.75 x 5.25", 2010.

Prince Jazzbo

2010-11-08T16:35:00.000-08:00

Pompom. Acrylic, 5x5", 2010.

DOZE DUDE

2010-11-08T16:13:00.000-08:00

Dozer embroidery. 2010.

Dozer t shirt to benefit Animal Refuge Kansai. On view during the Aosando Art Fair 2010 at HaNNa Gallery, Tokyo, Japan.

Turtle approves.

Dozer verso. The reverse, which I kinda like.

Hi, I'm Morty

2010-06-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

Mort-man. Acrylic, 5x5", 2010.

Jumpin' Cat Flash

2010-05-24T18:50:00.000-07:00

Cat flash. Pencil on paper, sketchbook scan. 2010.

Just took me for forever to finish, that's all

2010-05-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

Kitty. Acrylic, 5x5", 2010.

Did that

2010-05-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

FxIxN / FxUxN. My first ever tattoo made with a machine. Need to get some snaps of the various stick n pokes I've peformed over the years. I think I have a new art form to master...

Rough Trade

2010-05-07T07:22:00.000-07:00

Beasts. watercolor, gouache, walnut ink, and pencil, 7 or 8x12". 2010.

Receiving End

2010-05-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

This is my end of the trade with Hank. A + owl tattoo, in honor of my nanna, by Liam Sparkes. Many many many thanks, Katie!

PUG LIFE

2010-04-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

Some drawings for a trade with HANK. Um, best trade ever. Will post pics of my receiving end of said trade as soon as I have 'em.

Fancy Frances. Pencil on paper, 5.5x8". 2010.

Fancier Frances. Pencil on paper, 5.5x8". 2010.

Feat. Donna Summer

2010-04-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

While I was recently in Austin, TX I was complaining to my dear friend Laura about how stuck I've been feeling in terms of artmaking. It's true, I've hit a serious wall, friends. Luckily for me Laura is one of my most inspiring artist friends. She suggested we make a quick, impromptu collaborative installation in her studio in order to get unstuck. This is the result of our labors:

Laura, considering placement.

Adding away...

Detail view

Featuring Donna Summer. Installation, dimensions variable, 2010.

Our First Lady

2010-04-07T06:59:00.000-07:00

Michelle paperdoll. Cardboard, mod podge, found photo. 2009.

would you look at the way we dance?

2010-02-23T22:56:00.000-08:00

This collaboration is a loooooooong time in the making. I was flattered when my dear friend, Caitlin, wordsmith and BIG TIME DYNAMO,
asked me to illustrate one of her poems almost a year and a half ago. This lady is super talented, I mean she's a fucking POWERHOUSE. (Excuse my French, but it's necessary for the emphasis. She's just that crazy good.) I don't know anyone who is as righteous and motivated, hardworking or generous as Caits. She is also a striking designer/visual artist, so you can imagine what an honor it is to try interpret her vision. I am a lucky girl to have a friend like her in my life.

Watercolor and gouache, 9x12". 2010.

For Baraka

the days run into each other like moving pictures
an arm becomes a pinwheel becomes animal
swinging from vine in a jungle, no, Baobab tree,
perhaps its the wine but there is a swarm of
monstrous bees exiting the hive we once called
your mouth, no, its your tongue sliding across
white snow, a cheek, a belly, soft pads of each finger
just so

I am not sure your name is really your name
I am not sure I care to know the truth of things
just tell me a story, fantastical, about two penguins
in love that bear our fake-names like crowns
tell me the secret you keep under socks
who is the girl in your ribcage?
she is broken, too. We are all a little broken.
We admit to this. But look how our hearts grow
watermelon seeds and reproduce like rabbits
look at all the thumping drumming from our flesh
the skin taut and stretched, would you look
at the way we dance?

What is a pint of blood for the offering
the sky is calling and we musn't refuse
what are your wings made of?
pheasant or peacock or dove, you crack wide
open a grin, say, simple pigeon and
I understand your magic all at once
like a rush to the mouth, like a dive

Meet me at the top of a bell tower with
your notebook, or a dark cave lit by cigarette
you will fumble to catch my lips, the night's on fire
as the camera rolls behind an old bowling alley
I'll be in a dress from Africa, wearing sin
like rock and roll, I find you underneath
my fingernails, this dirt, boy, you've been wearing
the same shirt for days but smell like summer under
your sweater. The rain never comes here
but your song sounds like home.

Crop circles, pentagrams and tree houses

2010-02-23T08:54:00.000-08:00

Tree House. Watercolor and gouache, 5x7". 2008.

Coven. Collage and gouache, 5.5x5.5". 2008.

Splendor in the Grass A. Watercolor and gouache, 4x4". 2008.

Daddy's Girls

2010-02-19T07:06:00.000-08:00

Zac got these drawings of I made of Raindrop and Turtle tattooed on his forearm at Three Kings! I LOVE THEM!!! The artist that made the tattoo did a fantastic job of translating my drawings to tattoo.

Valentines

2010-02-14T18:01:00.000-08:00

Animal Team. Watercolor, gouache and pencil, 5"x7". 2010.

Turtle Raindrop Valentine. Watercolor, gouache and pencil, 3.5"x4.5". 2010.

Zac Megan Prism. Watercolor, gouache and pencil, 2.5"x3.75". 2010.

Temporary Me via Italia

2010-02-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

Temporary Me, in the care of Cecilia, Rimini, Italia. 2007.

Lucy shooting rainbows

2010-01-26T08:33:00.000-08:00

Lucy. Watercolor and gouache, 5x5", 2010.

Postcards from the Edge

2010-01-05T09:02:00.000-08:00

Reclining Turtle. Watercolor, 4x6". 2009.

This is my submission for this benefit: Postcards from the Edge

Please support Visual Aids! They are a truly awesome organization!!

Brah Burning

2009-11-25T13:27:00.000-08:00

Bra Burners. Still from collaborative video made with Jen May, 2005.

In this video Jen and I, still acting as the bumbling stoner girls, decide that in order to truly liberate ourselves we need to burn a bra. We sourced a bra from one of the many dollar stores that existed on Myrtle at the time. As a side note, this was before the Myrtle Revitalization Project (read as: Pratt's Speedy Gentrification Power-move.) We videoed our attempts to set this brassiere afire (made difficult by the fact that whatever horrendous synthetic material the bra was made of took forever to catch, which ended up serving us well because the comedy of errors that ensued is, in my mind, hilarious) all the while making our typical insidery japes. During the video we take separate bong and chipwich breaks, and when the bra finally burns we cued up an entire Thirteenth Floor Elevators song to accompany the weak smoldering flames, which lasts at least 5 minutes, if not upwards of 9 minutes. I can't remember. It's been a long time since I've watched the clip.

I uphold that we were baby girl geniuses when we made this and I may never make anything as inspired as this video again as long as I live. It is certifiably one of the best things I made in my undergraduate studies! We were so funny.

They're a bit of a head scratcher, these videos, but thinking about them now I've decided that these videos aren't totally about feminism or the misogynist environment that is Rock N Roll. The videos embody those things to a certain extent, but we were college students at the time and we were surrounded by bonehead college students trying to sort it all out. We were boneheads too, just trying to make sense of everything, and perhaps these videos are about us putting the pieces together; feminism and how it related to us, then/now, our feminism related to previous generations' feminism, feminism and how it relates to how we think about past eras/how it relates to the things we love...

Stoned To The Bone

2009-11-25T12:53:00.000-08:00

Stoners. Multi-channel video installation collaborative with Jen May, 2005.

In this video installation Jen and I are acting as two bumbling stoner girls sitting in a dorm room. Our dialog consisted of commentary on Rock N Roll (specifically Psychedelic Rock of the 1970s, i.e. The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, etc.) and how these stoner girl characters perceived feminism as it related to the genre. At one point we light up a spliff (fake, of course) which we pass between the two screens. I still find it uncanny how ambitious this project was and the level of sophistication of this idea which we basically developed from our mutual passions for feminism, consuming all music and media, and our esoteric sense of humor, basically as a gag. Laid out in front of the screens is a blanket woven with the image of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album cover, picnic style, covered with some magazines, burning incense, empty containers of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream and other vaguely related sundry items.

Morty

2009-11-25T12:47:00.000-08:00

Morty. Acrylic, 5x5", 2009.

Turtle 2

2009-11-25T12:38:00.000-08:00

Turtle. Acrylic, 4x6", 2009.

So I sink another drink...

2009-11-05T07:27:00.001-08:00

Video still from Dancing With Myself.

Dancing With Myself. 3 channel video installation, 2007.

When we envision the act of a woman dancing in front of a man the immediate association in our minds is that of an erotic act. The work I'm presenting is a video installation; three perspectives of a woman dancing for her own pleasure in front of a man in a neutral room. My interest is to provoke questions in the viewer's mind about the relationship between the gaze and the woman dancing. I want the viewer to consider the relationship between the two figures and our own projections onto that relationship. This paradigm is symptomatic of our larger social preconditioning.

without a hot beat

2009-11-05T07:02:00.000-08:00

Pages from the Collaborative Zine made with Jen May. Embroidery floss and scrap fabric, 2006.

Mein Pferd

2009-10-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

Mein Pferd. Billboard cutout, ribbon, yarn, plastic streamers, 2006.

JJ

2009-10-07T06:24:00.000-07:00

JJ. Acrylic, 4x6", 2009.

Feet It/Blv It

2009-10-07T06:22:00.000-07:00

Feel It Believe It. Fabric, ribbon, thread, dried daffodil, 2008.

The Bed Side Project

2009-09-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

These assemblages were a short-lived project of Zac and mine. Every day when one of us left his apartment, before the other returned, we would tidy up and create a neat composition with accompanying drawing and note for the other to find.

Bed Side Project #1. Found materials, 2006.

Bed Side Project #2. Found materials, 2006.

Bed Side Project #3. Found materials, 2006.

Bed Side Project #4. Found materials, 2006.

Pensa a me

2009-09-12T17:16:00.000-07:00

Not long after temp me landed in Brooklyn, was another surrogate created to be sent across the Atlantic blue only to land in the hands of one of the greatest loves of my life, Cecilia Fabbri. Ciao amore, mi manchi. Ti stringo. Baci, baci, baci.

Ci vediamo x

Frank

2009-09-12T17:09:00.000-07:00

Francis. Acrylic, 2009.

This was a commission and one of my favorite portraits that I've completed to date! Frank is a doll of a dog, an adorable little skamp, a charming lil bundle of personality. She belongs to my friend, the very talented Miss Katie Henry.

Run Free

2009-09-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

Run Free. Collage, 2006.

Temporary Versions

2009-09-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

A while back Jen and I read this interview with Miranda July in The Believer. In the interview she was talking about the long and arduous process of getting accepted to the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and workshopping the screenplay for what would become Me and You and Everyone We Know. While at Sundance she was feeling a little beaten down. Each morning everyone attending the workshop had to sit at this long table like you imagine in boardrooms in corporate offices while mail was distributed to all participants. Miranda said that day after day she received nothing while all the other screenwriters received mail from financiers and movie studios and production companies until one day she received a package from her friend Mikhaela. The package was huge, and everyone watched as she opened it to reveal a life sized drawing of Mikhaela with a note attached informing Miranda it was a temporary version to keep her company during the remainder of the workshop.

When I moved to Philadelphia in the summer of 2007 I was feeling down n out because I didn't have a job and it felt like I would never make it until one day I received a rather large envelope with the afternoon mail. I opened it to reveal a life sized temporary version of Jen!!!

And then I made a temporary version of myself to send back.

Jen on the left, me on the right

Temp BFFs

Just chillin' on the futon.

We, 3

Getting folded up...

And ready to ship off.

-Fin-

2009-09-09T07:47:00.000-07:00

Little Acts of Desperation. Scrap fabric, thread, 2006.

Isn't Anything. Scrap fabric, thread, 2006.

Isn't Anything is a My Bloody Valentine album that I must have been listening to quite a lot.

There was a short while, around 2005-2006, coinciding with my time spent in Germany, where all I could do was sew. It was repetitious enough that I could just do it and clear my head. I couldn't bring myself to do it today if I tried.

No Scrubs. Scrap fabric, thread, 2006.

Carry Your Honesty. Scrap fabric, thread, 2006.

Karen and Luke's Wedding Gift

2009-09-09T07:28:00.000-07:00

This past weekend one of my oldest and dearest friends and ex-Littles guitarist/vocalist, Karen, married her long-time boyfriend and current Barnicle drummer, Luke in beautiful Narragansett, Rhode Island. In March Karen and Luke moved to their sweet local farm in Western Mass. that they now share with their kitty Tofu, 3 roosters, 5 hens, and two goats! As my wedding present to them I painted portraits of the kids:

Rosemary. Acrylic, 5x7", 2009.

Birch. Acrylic, 5x7", 2009.

SPOTTED:

2009-09-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

The trash curtains!!!

Photo found here.

My partner in art crimes, Jen, set up our beauteous trash curtains and paper chains as set design for Brooklyn band, These Are Powers, at Insound's 10th Anniversary Party at Brooklyn Bowl last Thursday.

Also, if you are so inclined and happen to be walking the mean streets of Chelsea, you can catch the CAN I LIVE? banner live and in person tomorrow, Saturday, the 5th of September, under the High Line. These Are Powers, Grooms, Ecstatic Sunshine, The Smith Westerns, and Knight School play for f-r-e-e. Jen will be there, I will not. And if free feminist art and underground rock n' roll rippers isn't enough to lure you, supposedly there will be free Smirnoff from 4-5PM. Go get waaaasted.

??

2009-09-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some terrible photos of questionable work that I made during my years of art skooling! Enjoy.

Joni. Watercolor, gouache, ink, 2005?

TJO. Watercolor, gouache, pencil, 2005?

Modern Lover. Ink and pencil, 2005?

National Geographic. Watercolor, gouache, ink, pencil, 2005?

Growing

2009-09-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

Growing Stronger Every Day. Pencil, watercolor, gouache, 2006.

Philadelphia

2009-09-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

Baby ET. Pencil, watercolor, gouache, 2006.

Phillies. Pencil, watercolor, gouache, 2006.

Z. Pencil, watercolor, gouache, 2006.

Wolfboy

2009-09-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

Wolfboy. Pencil, watercolor, gouache, 2006.

Shark

2009-09-02T07:05:00.000-07:00

Shark. Pencil, watercolor, gouache, 2006.

Movie stills

2009-08-31T09:08:00.000-07:00

Jean. Graphite, 2009. (Please excuse the glare. Je suis professionelle.)

Rosemary's Omen. Watercolor, gouache, pencil, 2008-9.

Portraits!

2009-08-31T08:51:00.000-07:00

(L to R) Raindrop. Acrylic, 4x4", 2009.
Found Photo Dog. Acrylic, 2009.
Big Guy. Acrylic, 5x5", 2009.

(L to R) Bo Obama. Acrylic, 2009.
Little Guy. Acrylic, 5x5", 2009.
Turtle dove. Acrylic, 4x4", 2009.
Smolli. Acrylic, 2009.

Series

2009-08-26T15:52:00.000-07:00

The Quilting Party (Starry Night). Acrylic, watercolor, gouache and pencil, 2009.

Diptych: (L) Mulberry. Watercolor, gouache, walnut ink, pencil, 2008. (R) Rock-A-Bye. Watercolor, gouache, walknut ink, pencil, glitter glue, 2008.

NOTE: These were supposed to be hung in the opposite order! I can't believe I let this slip. Obviously, I am a real professional artist.

Recent works

2009-08-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

(L) I AM CHUCK BASS. Watercolor, gouache, pencil and ink on paper, 2009.
(R) Cleaners. Collage, 2009.

Pylon. Collage, 2009.

This happened

2009-08-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

OOPS!!! SORRY I DIDN'T POST THIS B4 THE EVENT! I AM A BAD BLOGGER!! Trust me, it was cool.

8/22/2009 8:00 PM at Littlefield NYC
w/Jessica Hopper, These Are Powers, Katie Stelmanis, MNDR, DJ Strength in Numbers
622 degraw, Brooklyn, New York 11217
Cost: $8
http://www.littlefieldnyc.com/ 16 +, $8

The Girls Guide to Rocking Book Event & End of Summer Blow Out Show:
Celebrating feminist art in all its funnest and finest forms Jessica Hopper reads from her new book, The Girls Guide to Rocking w/ performances by These Are Powers, Katie Stelmanis, MNDR DJs Strength in Numbers & MNDR

Feminist info and arts bazaar featuring Mazzotti Music, Tom Tom Magazine, Feministing Collective, Willie Mae Rock Camp, Strength in Numbers, No Guts No Glory, For the Birds, Bluestockings, Jen & Megan, King Cog, Bust Magazine

The Girls Guide to Rocking is an instructional/inspirational book for young women on how to start a band, record, books shows and everything they need to know to realize their music dreams.
http://www.girlsguidetorocking.com/

These Are Powers
http://www.myspace.com/thesearepowers

Katie Stelmanis
Armed with a keyboard and backed by a wall of pre-assembled midi madness, Katie Stelmanis’ music is endlessly evocative, with strong and scattered beats riding alongside dense synth melodies and vibrato- laden vocal swoops.
http://myspace.com/katiestelmanis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULeQ8nvWTO0

MNDR
The finest chrome-dipped beatmaker from SF/NYC!
http://mndrtronica.com

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Lady run DIY events and so much more!
http://myspace.com/strengthinbrooklyn

Photos from WE STILL GOT A LONG WAY TO GO

2009-08-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

(L to R) Aunt Jan, Cousin Hannah, Cousin Amelia, me, Uncle Roy. I was sooo happy they were able to make it!

(L to R) Siouxsie, Debbie, Patti. Color pencil, hand set type, 2008.
Collaborative Zine by Jen May and me.
People Who Died. Hand set type, 2009.
Light As A Feather, Stiff As A Board. Pencil, 2009.

Ashley, Raúl, and me

WE STILL GOT A LONG WAY TO GO. Wood, pencil, ink, fabric, thread, iron-on transfers, 2009.

Derreck and Morgan on the 1's and 2's

E Blow The Roof Off This Motherfucker. Paper, tape, adhesive, 2008.
F Big Nest. Found and recycled materials, 2009.
G Directional. Pencil, 2007.
H Peace. Pencil, 2007.
I Little Nest (One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others).Found and recycled materials, 2009.
J Swimming Pool. Matchbox, ink, 2006.

The wall of animal companion portraits!

LOOKIN' GOOD (on opposite day)

Girls, THANK YOU FOR MAKING MY SUMMER. This was the best trip. DOS GATOS CREW POR VIDA!!

Smolli and Sue

2009-08-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

Smolli. Acrylic on canvas, 2009.

Sue. Acrylic on canvas, 2009.

Senior Thesis

2009-07-30T18:55:00.001-07:00

My father's letters, 2003-2007.

My father's letters, 2003-2007.

My father's letters, 2003-2007.

Mock up for For Dad, dimensions variable, 2007.

Mock up for For Dad, dimensions variable, 2007.

Mock up for For Dad, dimensions variable, 2007.

Herons. Silkscreen on wood, 2007.

This was my Art Skool Senior Thesis. Like most things I made in school, I can't tell if it worked or not. It was fun to make, and it meant a lot to me and more importantly, my Pops, but the reads people got off it were bizarre leading me to feel like it wasn't successful. One professor said she thought I had "Daddy issues". Art school can be so damaging like that.

I had to write a statement for the "publication" for our show (the "publication" never happened.) This is what I wrote:

Anybody can be an artist.
And everyone is,
Whether or not they know it yet.
And furthermore, everyone's work is equally important.

My father is an amazing artist.

In addition to being a devoted correspondent and mail art enthusiast, he is the first person to (unknowingly) expose me to performance art. Throughout my youth my father would occasionally borrow a VHS camera from the correctional facility (read: maximum security prison) where he worked as a teacher. He organized my brother, our childhood friends, and me to participate in impromptu performance art that he would direct under the alter ego "Monty Montage". (In the video included in this installation my brother, our friends Liz, Ben and Emily from the James family, and myself are singing and rocking out along to Sweet Jane by the Velvet Underground. I am the oldest kid featured, at age 5.) His adoption of an artistic persona has art historical precedence, Duchamp's R. rose Sélavy comes to mind, but it was Monty Montage who was the preeminent artistic character in my life.

This project is dedicated to my father. I've wanted to be my father's collaborator and curator for some time because his art has set me on my path and continued to inspire me. Dad's envelopes and letters deserve to be shared. I've endeavored to create little homes for each piece of mail I've received from my father since I've lived in NYC.

For four years I've been my father's devoted collector, but our relationship is much more reciprocal than curator-collector and artist-producer. We take turns creating and showing each other work. Every once in a while my father commissions me to create something for our family. This is tricky because more often that not my interpretations of his visions do not fully match up. (My father wanted me to weld metal herons for his garden. Welding is dangerous and difficult and the raw material is expensive, so instead I screened images of herons on wood.) He may be the "Idea Man" but ultimately he must accept the work I've made, just as a parent must accept their children in order to understand, support and appreciate the path they have chosen.

Many thanks to my family and the family of friends who have helped along the way.

For Dad, dimensions variable, 2007.

For Dad, dimensions variable, 2007.

Dancing With Myself. 3 channel video installation, 2007.

When we envision the act of a woman dancing in front of a man the immediate association in our minds is that of an erotic act. The work I'm presenting is a video installation; three perspectives of a woman dancing for her own pleasure in front of a man in a neutral room. My interest is to provoke questions in the viewer's mind about the relationship between the gaze and the woman dancing. I want the viewer to consider the relationship between the two figures and our own projections onto that relationship. This paradigm is symptomatic of our larger social preconditioning.

Molly

2009-07-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

Molly. Acrylic on canvas, 4X4", 2009.

Molly is one of my most favorite dogs to walk.

Santa Ana Art Walk, THIS SATURDAY!!!

2009-07-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

CHECK IT OUT!!!

WE STILL GOT A LONG WAY TO GO

2009-06-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

Megan Thomas-Melly - WE STILL GOT A LONG WAY TO GO
at TIGHT SPACE
Reception: July 20th 2009. 7-10pm. Artist in Attendance.

WE STILL GOT A LONG WAY TO GO will be artist Megan Thomas-Melly's first solo exhibition. It will be a one night only event (and then by appointment) taking place in a new project space located in the heart of Orange County, California as part of the monthly Santa Ana Art Walks. The show will feature a recontextualized sculptural installation and many works on paper, in cloth and on canvas presenting a hotchpotch of themes related to the artist's perception of modern (popular and sub-) culture.

TIGHT SPACE
729 N. Poinsettia Street
Santa Ana, Ca 92701
www.tightspace.org

Sometimes

2009-06-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

On that same public lawn I installed another work meant to be a public intervention along the same theme.

I would walk around all day and night feeling as though "I just need some help". It was partially a cry out to the universe, but also a direct plea to the people around me. I was questioning my motives for moving to Germany. I was feeling alienated and like everyone "back home" had already forgotten me, that so much had happened since I'd left, that so much would happen that I would not be a part of. I wanted to feel like I'd made the right decision, and that I belonged. I wanted validation.

And like the first S.O.S. project, this was a rather pathetic cry for help. The plea was in English, and although the young people of Deutschland are very English-fluent, it was assumptive of me as a native English speaker to think that my appeal would be readily understood by all. Not only this, but after an hour or so, a terrible wind kicked up and kicked over my little banner. It was like the universe was trying to tell me to buck up and take care of myself.

Weeks later I created an addendum to this piece, when I was feeling more validated.

I JUST NEED SOME HELP (sometimes)

S.O.S.

2009-06-17T13:34:00.001-07:00

This work was completed while I was studying at the Bauhaus in Weimar, Germany. One day before meeting with my class in the atelier I gathered these rocks on sight (the public lawn in front of the Van de Velde Bau) and arranged the S.O.S.

This is the view of the piece from the top etage of the building:

At the time I was feeling very vulnerable as a new student at a new uni in a new country, as well as struggling with a new language. I liked the idea of creating an S.O.S. message, as S.O.S. is recognized as an international call of distress. It would be guaranteed to be recognized cross-culturally. I also thought about the scale of the S.O.S. as it is not large enough to be easily legible from afar. It wasn't even wide enough to stumble over if someone was to come across it on the lawn. It might have gone ignored completely. In a sense it was a very pathetic cry for help. I suppose I recognized it to be as pathetic as I was feeling at that moment, knowing fully well that things would get easier and I would become more adjusted to my new living situation and learning environment.

Books/Books on Tape

2009-06-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

What's this, you ask?

Why, it's a book! One of many, collaboratively produced by my dear conspirator Jen May, and yours truly.

Voilà!

Details, details.

Y más, y más.

A selection or two from our "Best Of" zine that we just published. Inquire for one, and ye shall receive.

And when 2D was not enough, we had to take that puppy into the FOURTH DIMENSION!!!

Dog is my co-pilot

2009-06-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

Rascal. Acrylic, 2009.

Sammi. Acrylic, 4x4", 2009.

Thor. Acrylic, 2009.

Thor was my dad's dog and the first dog I ever knew. He was a sweetheart, a big burly lab who loved me and looked over me like I was his pup. He was loyal, almost to a fault, as my dad tells me. He could kick much ass when he felt threatened.

Sammi was my dog. I chose her after weeks of visiting the Connecticut Humane Society in pursuit of an adoption. I was in first grade and I was desperate for responsibility and companionship. She was skinny and losing hair when we brought her home, but she soon flourished. She was a friend to the end. Sammi lived a full and happy life.

Rascal is the current family dog, but she's really just a mommy's dog. She is IN LOVE with my mother. She is the perfect size, big enough to run and play and splash in the ocean with us with proper stamina and vitriol but not too big to lay on your lap (well, maybe a little too big.) Rascal is very smart and has the softest coat, especially her ears. My mom even says she can talk and my grandma says she taught her how to wink.

While the gettin's good

2009-06-04T18:48:00.000-07:00

ONE DAY LEFT!!! Coming down Saturday, June 6! ONE DAY LEFT!!!

CAN I LIVE?
an installation by Megan Thomas-Melly and Jen May
@ the Dirt Palace
12-14 Olneyville Square
Providence, RI

CAN I LIVE? This small phrase can act as a defense or a demand for permissibility. In what can feel at times like a big bad world, all you need to ask is "CAN I LIVE?" and almost immediately it seems as though the permission is granted, the space has been carved out for the taking. Try it, it won't let you down. Artists Jen May & Megan Thomas-Melly have created a mixed media installation based on this premise.

Every Thing We Touch

2009-06-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

Every Thing We Touch. Felt, glitter, vinyl, sand paper, yarn, coffee, lentils, hot glue, sweatpant, pushpins, cotton batting, aluminum foil, plastic bag, ash, petroleum jelly, rhinestone, 2006.

This installation was inspired by a painting by same title by Jessie Renew. It is one of the most favorite things I made in my undergraduate studies.

Winnie

2009-06-02T15:36:00.001-07:00

Winnie. Acrylic on canvas, 2009.

In case you don't know, I am otherwise employed as a dogwalker. This is one of the dogs I walk. Her name is Winnie. Winnie is an old lady now, but this is a picture of her as a puppy.

In case you are interested in commissioned work, I would love to paint your animal companion's portrait. You may contact me at: mthomasmelly@gmail.com

Thank you!

Raindrop & Turtle

2009-06-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

This is my cat Raindrop. Acrylic on canvas, 4x4", 2009.

And this is my cat Turtle. Acrylic on canvas, 4x4", 2009.

These paintings were in a show titled “New Year” at Omar Little Gallery, Brooklyn, NY.

Singles Going Steady

2009-05-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

Singles. Acrylic and gouache on scrap wood, 2008.

Lovers Fighters Kissers Kickers. Two sided painting with gesso, acrylic, ink, glitter and glue on scrap wood.

Both pieces were shown A Show of Love at Café Estelle, Philadelphia. The show was curated by my very talented friend Katie Henry and included a great number of Philadelphia's young artist base. Lovers Fighters was inspired by my love affair with mixtapes and the many mixes that have marked the rainbowheaded beginnings and the crushing demises of romantic relationships in my life. You will notice that every song title includes the word "love" or some variation/derivation of it.

I apologize for the terrible photographs!

The Log Lady

2009-05-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

The Log Lady. Gesso, acrylic, gouache, watercolor, glitter, glue, graphite and charcoal on log section, 2007.

This was shown in Loggerhythms, a show of works on sections of log distributed to the artists by Honeymilk Gallery, Philadelphia.

You may recognize my friend from a superlative series by the title of Twin Peaks.

Bloodsisters

2009-05-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

Performance by Megan Thomas-Melly, featuring Jen May. Leotards connected crotch to crotch via many strands of multi hued red silk floss strung with red glass seed beads. 2004 or 2005?

This is one of what I consider to be my first successful pieces, although I can not tell whether or not I am embarrassed by it or not. However, I am embarrassed by the poor photo quality and that I did not consider restaging this photo in a better location than our dingy classroom above the wood shop at school.

The Hounds of Love

2009-05-28T13:32:00.001-07:00

The Hounds of Love. Acrylic and gouache on wood, 2008.

Shown in The Heart Show at Jinxed Gallery, Philadelphia.

Welcome to the Dollhouse

2009-05-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

Siouxsie, Debbie, Patti. Colored pencil and graphite on paper, 2008.

Shown in The Doll Show at Honeymilk Gallery, formerly on Market Street, Philadelphia.

30 30

2009-05-19T14:25:00.000-07:00

A gift for my dear friend Jason on his 30th birthday

Found and scrap paper collage, graphite and colored pencil, 2009.

CAN I LIVE?

2009-05-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

Currently on view at the Dirt Palace
May 9-June 6, 2009
an installation by Megan Thomas-Melly and Jen May
12-14 Olneyville Square
Providence, RI

CAN I LIVE? This small phrase can act as a defense or a demand for permissibility. In what can feel at times like a big bad world, all you need to ask is "CAN I LIVE?" and almost immediately it seems as though the permission is granted, the space has been carved out for the taking. Try it, it won't let you down. Artists Jen May & Megan Thomas-Melly have created a mixed media installation based on this premise.

Raindrop helps us prep.

Turtle gets in on it too.

The set up...

Jen, on the inside.

From the outside, looking in on Jen.

CAN...

CAN I...

LIVE?

A detail of the center section.

A detail from the inside of the window, taken from the left.

The whole picture w/ casual stroller.

DONE AND DONE. We did it! We did it together!!!

Biography

2009-05-12T14:58:00.001-07:00

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper was playing when Megan Thomas-Melly (b. 1985) came kicking and screaming into this world. She grew up in and around Hartford, Connecticut, but Megan contends that the veteran halls, warehouses and basement shows of Greater New England were more responsible for raising her. Megan attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, graduating with honors and a BFA in Sculpture and a minor in Art History. Her artwork deals with how we communicate, our modern communication’s intricacies, its necessity and its failures, all the while maintaining a feminist perspective on culture. She has utilized drawing, bookmaking, video, installation, performance and sculpture to this end. Megan has exhibited her work consistantly throughout the United States, as well as Weimar, Germany. She is currently living, working and caring for two weird cats in Brooklyn, New York.