TRAVEL. Traveling, whether alone or working, has become part of my creative process as an artist. I have participated in many artist-in-residence programs all around the world. These experiences allow me to work as I am discovering a new culture and place. Travel allows us to gain a fresh outlook and draw on our surroundings to push ourselves and our art to a new levels. A way to reenergize.
As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist” I had the pleasure of interviewing Melissa Herrington.
Melissa Herrington is a contemporary abstract artist currently living and working in Los Angeles, California. She has called Southern California home since 2005 where she received her MFA from Otis College of Art and Design. Prior to that, she spent most of her early career in Florida and has a BFA from Florida State University. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I was born in Florida and attended Florida State University in Tallahassee and graduated with a BFA. Professionally, I started creating art in the early 2000’s — I had my first solo show with the pioneering incredible legend Fay Gold of FAY GOLD GALLERY in Atlanta Georgia. This opportunity changed my life. I remember walking into the gallery and MY paintings were hanging next to Louise Nevelson and Robert Mapplethorp, it was completely surreal!
I then moved to Los Angeles where I would receive my MFA, Fine Arts, from Otis College of Art and Design in 2008. I am currently living and working in Venice, CA.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
My first internship was at the Tampa Museum of Art, it was my first experience that really inspired me to believe that I could be an artist.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Back in 2022, I had my first solo museum exhibition with the Coral Springs Museum of Art. It is extremely difficult to get a solo museum exhibition, especially as a woman, and I was more than honored to have this opportunity. There are so many women artists making inspiring work today but who remain under-represented in traditional galleries and museums. According to ArtNet, over the past decade, just 11 percent of all acquisitions and 14 percent of exhibitions at 26 prominent American museums were of work by female artists. That means, out of the total of 260,470 works of art that have entered the museums’ permanent collections since 2008, only 29,247 are by women.
Within this exhibition, my featured series of abstract paintings explored the complexities of transformation. There were 18 new pieces showcased that highlight my love of color, shape, and texture. Each work functions as both an individual entity and as a part of a larger theme of my practice. I explore spontaneous marks and subtle forms through abstraction, powerful brush stroke, large-scale canvases, and especially, use of color. Objects and images are never too explicit, this “unfinished” fluidity, represents an unfolding of new possibilities. My process based, gestural paintings are created through layers of drawing and pigment on canvas. I overlay mark-making using pencil, paint, charcoal and ink. Through this application of these materials, I investigate the ever-changing nature of the female form.
In addition to the exhibition, I had the opportunity to host an educational series where I highlighted my exploration of color, form, and line through preliminary sketches, behind-the-scenes insights, and blind contour line drawing exercises. I also hosted a professional development workshop where I was able to offer guidance for finding, applying, and participating in residency programs which can have a lasting impact on an artist’s life and practice.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I’m really excited about my latest series, at the cusp of midnight and color.
Within this series, I blur the lines between mediums, forms, and concept. The large-scale, gestural paintings are built up through layers of paint on canvas and overlaid with graphite, charcoal and pigment, like clouded midnight skies, beauty bruised in hues of blue, purple, and black.
Continuous marks seem to bleed into the watered canvas. Conjuring a feeling of floating in a vast sea of mystery, shades of the night convey a sense of boundlessness, suggesting an infinite expanse. There is no physical boundary — no wall, no border, no fence around the edges of this cosmos. These silhouetted figures evolve in a cosmological horizon. Contoured shapes are often scaled to my own body or surrounding environments, tempting the viewer to engage or simply float alongside them.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
Manjul Bhargava is an incredible mathematician and one of the most creative people I have ever met. Bhargava was awarded the Fields Medal in 2014. A few years ago, a group of mathematicians consulted on a film I was a part of. This was the inspiration of the Infinity Arts Foundation. Seeing firsthand how the arts and sciences interact and intersect, and what incredible breakthroughs can happen. I am so honored to have him as a friend and a part of our board of directors for the foundation.
Where do you draw inspiration from? Can you share a story about that?
For those who know me or follow my work, they know that I like to create abstract paintings that are contemplative and evocative. At the heart of my artistic practice is an unmistakable relationship between distilled color, form and process. I am interested in the way certain colors evoke certain memories, associations or responses. The process, a mark leading to the next mark. Your hand creating a mark on the surface of the canvas, being guided to the next, developing a story and set of possibilities for each of my subjects.
Drawing is at the center of my visual practice. I try to deconstruct the figure down to the bare essence of line, moving towards the suggestion of form. My works are created through a culmination of references; some purely visual, some to do with words, travels, memory, and experiences.
I prioritize gestures, connecting color and form through movements. The off-center composition, the edges are softly blended and dark graphite outlines impart tension and balance between opacity and translucency. Each mark is a statement in its own, but all are pulling the eye across the canvas. This large-scale painting is covered in irregular chalk marks, luminous and bold swaths of color. Smears, strokes, and drips of paint, at times applied with my fingertips directly to the canvas, evoke the ephemeral and the unspoken.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
In 2022, I founded a nonprofit arts foundation, Infinity Arts Foundation, along with Matthew Brown, writer, director, and filmmaker. Although in the beginning stages of development the foundation was established with the vision of bridging the gap between science and art to inspire creativity, curiosity, and positive change. Drawing from our individual journeys in our respective disciplines, Brown and I recognize the profound connection between storytelling, artistic expression, and S.T.E.A.M. disciplines. Our experiences led to a shared vision for IAF, which has since emerged as a pioneering force in integrating science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) into artistic endeavors. Inspired by our own journeys and the remarkable experiences of visionaries in S.T.E.A.M, we both envision IAF as a catalyst for greater exploration and development for artists and scientists alike.
Mission Statement: Infinity Arts Foundation (IAF) harnesses the complementary strengths of science and art to inspire creativity, spark curiosity, and drive positive change. Through cross-disciplinary collaboration and experimentation, we aim to unlock new perspectives, insights, and possibilities that enrich lives and shape the future. IAF is distinguished by its unique combination of a film fund and artist-in-residency program dedicated to STEAM-related projects, aimed at maximizing exposure to remarkable life stories and fostering exploration, collaboration, and solitude.
Vision Statement: Our vision is to empower filmmakers and visual artists by providing them with the resources, support, and community necessary to realize their creative visions. Through our film fund and artist-in-residency program, we strive to foster artistic innovation, collaboration, and cultural exchange while highlighting STEAM narratives. We believe in the power of storytelling to inspire, challenge, and connect audiences worldwide, amplifying diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences in film and the visual arts.
Legal Structure: Infinity Arts Foundation is registered as a nonprofit organization and holds 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, affirming our dedication to serving the community and advancing the arts.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
- CREATE. Just make art. If you want to be an artist, make art. The more you work, the more ideas there are to work on.
- TRAVEL. Traveling, whether alone or working, has become part of my creative process as an artist. I have participated in many artist-in-residence programs all around the world. These experiences allow me to work as I am discovering a new culture and place. Travel allows us to gain a fresh outlook and draw on our surroundings to push ourselves and our art to a new levels. A way to reenergize.
- STUDIO TIME. This is important. For me, sometimes it can be hard to get back in the studio after a break or an exhibition. Balancing life and making time for creativity when everything else seems to try and get in the way. I think we as women, and I know this is true for myself, I struggle with finding a balance and sacrificing time away from the studio. We have to know it is acceptable to be selfish for our art.
For me, this quote sums it up perfectly. “I’ve seen women insist on cleaning everything in the house before they could sit down to write… Perfect way to stop a woman. A woman must be careful to not allow over-responsibility to steal her necessary creative rests, riffs, and raptures. She simply must put her foot down and say no to half of what she believes she “should” be doing. Art is not meant to be created in stolen moments only.” — Clarissa Pinkola Est’es - PREVERANCE. This is vital as an artist. Stay positive and keep going. Keep showing up.
- INVEST. Invest in yourself. Invest in your future. Invest in your business. Invest in your retirement. Invest in your creativity.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
There are nearly 2.5 million artists in the U.S. labor force (either self-employed or wage-and-salary workers). Approximately 333,000 (self-employed or wage-and-salary) workers hold secondary jobs as artists. I’d want to create a collective group or guild to protect and support visual artists. Focusing on retirement and investing contributions, pensions, and health plans, strengthening of professional standards and the overall protections for visual artists. To establish a Pension Investment Fund for visual artists that would be dedicated to prudently investing.
As a labor union, one of a guild’s primary functions is to make sure that members are credited, paid, and provided benefits. In the Arts, Passion Exploitation is the Norm.
We have been blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she just might see this.
Let’s do brunch! Sara Blakely once said, “Where I get my energy is: ‘How can I make it better?’” I absolutely love this; inspiring people encourages us to develop innovative solutions, think constructively about goals and dig deep. She demonstrates what’s possible with hard work and determination. We both went to FSU and grew up in Florida!
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
I can be found on my website (www.melissaherrington.com) or on Instagram at the following handles: @Herringtonmelissa, @Infinityartsfoundation, and @Mherringtongallery.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Melissa Herrington: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.