Melaine, Krystii


Krystii Melaine
Born 1963 in Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia; lives in Colbert, Washington

AT THE AGE OF FOUR, Krystii Melaine announced that she was going to be an artist, winning her first art competition at seven. Following studies in painting, drawing, photography, and graphic design, Melaine established her own fashion design company, developing it into one of the largest bridal-wear companies in Australia.

A desire to return to painting led to five years studying traditional tonal realism, and a thirty-year career as a successful realist painter. Inspired by people and animals, Melaine has focused on the American West, it’s history and diverse cultures. Recently, she has expanded her oeuvre to explore the emotional effects of abstracts, which has in turn informed her realism paintings. With this shift in her awareness, she brings a fresh, modern look to Western and wildlife art.

Melaine regularly participates in major museum exhibitions and has won numerous awards. She has been honored with purchase awards from the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art and the Hockaday Museum of Art, and has three life-size, full-length portraits of Native Americans in the Booth Western Art Museum. Of her creations, Melaine says “I hope my paintings make people feel happy whenever they see them. This is my gift to the world.”

Notable Awards and Achievements

2023       Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art, Quest for the West, Artist of Distinction Award
2019      Hockaday Museum of Art, A Timeless Legacy, Van Kirke Nelson Hockaday Purchase Award
2019     
Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine Award
2018
       Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art, Quest for the West, Harrison Eiteljorg Purchase Award and Patrons’ Choice Award
2018       Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Cowgirl Up!, People’s Choice Award
2017       Autry Museum of the American West, Masters of the American West, Merit Award
2016       Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Quest for the West, Patron’s Choice Award
2016       American Women Artists National Juried Exhibition, Bennington Center for the Arts, Visitors’ Choice Award
2015       Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine Award
2015       Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Quest for the West, Patrons’ Choice Award
2015       American Women Artists National Juried Exhibition, Friends of Western Art Award
2014       Portrait Society of America, Members Only Competition, First Merit Award–Commissioned Portrait
2012       Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Cowgirl Up!, First Prize Two-Dimensional on Canvas
2012       Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Cowgirl Up!, Artists’ Choice Award
2011       The Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale Salon of Fine Art, Western Award
2009       Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Cowgirl Up!, First Prize Two-Dimensional

Memberships:
American Women Artists, Master Signature Member
Portrait Society of America, Member

Gallery Representation:
Sanders Galleries, Tucson, Arizona
Trailside Galleries, online
Montana Trails Gallery, Bozeman, Montana
Broadmoor Galleries, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Mountain Trails Galleries, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Jackson, Wyoming, and Park City, Utah
The Marshall Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona
Big Horn Galleries, Cody, Wyoming, and Tubac, Arizona
Going to the Sun Gallery, Whitefish, Montana

krystiimelaine.com

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