Participating Artists

    • Krystii Melaine
    • Krystii Melaine

    Krystii Melaine

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    Born in Victoria, Australia, Krystii Melaine won her first art competition at age seven, and by the age of fourteen she was selling paintings and accepting commissions. Following university studies in painting, drawing, graphic design, and photography, she enjoyed a highly successful career as a fashion designer, developing her bridal-wear company into one of the largest in Australia.

    Ride Like the Wind: oil on canvas, 28 x 40 in. ($19,800)
    Whittlin': oil, 20 x 24 in. ($8,500, sold)
    In Any Weather: oil, 18 x 16 in. ($4,900, sold)
    Southwest Style: oil, 12 x 10 in. ($2,400, sold)
    click on image to enlarge

    A burning desire to return to her lifelong passion for painting led Melaine to five years of study with the renowned Australian artist Graham Moore, which provided her with a strong background in portraiture, still life, and landscape painting. On her first visit to North America in 1998 Melaine discovered a strong affinity for the American West, and its wildlife, cowboys, and Native Americans quickly became her favorite painting subjects.

    Exhibitions in the United States have included the Autry National Center of the American West’s Masters of the American West Fine Art Exhibition and Sale;the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s Birds in Art show; the Society of Animal Artist’s Art and the Animal show; the Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale; the Desert Caballeros Western Museum’s Cowgirl Up!; the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame’s Heart of the West; and major solo exhibitions. She is featured in the book Feather and Brush: Three Centuries of Australian Bird Art, and articles about her work have appeared in Art of the West, InformArt, Southwest Art, U.S. Art, Wildlife Art, and Western Art Collector. Melaine is a Signature Member of the Society of Animal Artists.

    Her recent awards include Best of Show 2D at the 2008 Heart of the West and First Prize 2D at the 2009 Cowgirl Up! Other awards include Best of Show three times at the NatureWorks Wildlife Art Show and Sale, Tulsa, Oklahoma; the Award of Merit–Bird in Arts for the Parks, Wyoming; and Best Australian Native Wildlife Artist.

    Krystii Melaine is represented by J. Willott Gallery, Palm Desert, California; and Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona, and Jackson, Wyoming.