Old Bark Peels When It Should

Artist:
Melissa Rey Melissa is a British/Turkish self-taught artist living and working in the UK. Her work is a heartfelt tribute to the restorative, healing properties of nature. The work was inspired by the new beginnings Melissa found moving to Australia, making home in a foreign, yet comforting landscape of towering eucalyptus trees. From nature to canvas, Melissa translates sun crisped leaves and close up trunk patterns, with bark snippets selectively foraged and collated during her countless expeditions. The product is an abstract portrayal of the calloused, peeling layers of bark and underlying soft tree trunks with their perfectly disordered overlaying patterns. More so, Melissa’s work captures a feeling: the solace of the natural world which has been a consistent source of rejuvenation and healing for her. She reflects the essence of walking amid the trees, finding connectedness and synchronicity with nature. The resulting pieces are increasingly important in a built world that replaces weaving branches and the soft crunch of leaves, with concrete pavements and high rises. The work connects you, despite distance, to the steadfast trunks that mark the forests, reminding you to look beyond man-made surroundings into the therapeutic natural world.
Media: Printed onto 308gsm Archival paper.