Melissa Sturgeon

Melissa Sturgeon was born in North London in 1975. She attended the North Oxfordshire School of Art & Design and in 1994 went on to complete her studies in the field of Illustration at Falmouth School of Art in Cornwall.

Much of the inspiration for Melissa Sturgeon's work has come from her travels around Europe, focusing mainly on her time in Paris, where she became enchanted by the city's artisan quarter of Montmartre. This time in Paris proved to bea catalyst for Melissa Sturgeon's development as an artist, and led her to create a series of carefully observed examples of the built environment. Inspired by the notion that the subject matter is fashioned not just by their aesthetics, but by those people who encounter them, each carving out a story that becomes etched within it's walls, lost in time but not forgotten.

Although more recently Melissa Sturgeon has been working on themes much closer to her home and heart, rediscovering the joys of the British seaside holiday and her love of the South Dorset, Devon Coastline, the same principles still apply to her approach.

Talking about what inspires her work, Melissa Sturgeon says "Mostly what I find I do is to sit and just spend time watching the world around me, absorbing everything, using all the senses. You cannot bottle the atmosphere; it isn't something that is tangible, you can only convey a feel for a place from your memories, from your own experiences, and try your best to translate that in your work. "

Melissa Sturgeon's work has been exhibited in galleries across the U.K as well as enjoying several successful solo exhibitions.