01 Jan Melaine, Krystii
Scenes from the old West will come to life in paintings and sculptures that will fill the galleries of the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, with the opening of the 14th annual Quest for the West® Art Show and Sale, Friday, Sept. 6, 2019. In one gallery, the only gallery like it in the state of Indiana, visitors can see and be the first to bid on millions of dollars in artwork from some of the country’s biggest names in Western art. Meet Quest for the West® artist Krystii Melaine.
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. At seven she won her first art competition and she was taking commissions for paintings by the age of fourteen. The Australian native studied painting, drawing, photography, and graphic design and soon set up her own fashion design company, developing it into one of the largest bridal-wear companies in Australia.
A desire to return to painting led Melaine to spend five years studying traditional tonal realism and oil-painting techniques. Inspired by the people and animals of the American West, she is now immersed in an artistic exploration of Native American history and cultures. Melaine regularly participates in several major museum exhibitions. Recently, the Booth Western Art Museum in Georgia purchased three life-sized full-length portraits of Native Americans for their permanent collection. Of her art, Melaine explains, “To capture the essence of a person or animal in a moment of time, to tell beautiful visual stories, and to share the wonders of life with others – this is what I strive for!”
Notable Awards and Achievements
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:
Big Horn Galleries, Cody, Wyoming, and Tubac, Arizona
Broadmoor Galleries, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Coeur d’Alene Gallery, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Going to the Sun Gallery, Whitefish, Montana
Mountain Trails Gallery, Jackson, Wyoming, Park City, Utah, and Sedona, Arizona
Sanders Gallery, Tucson, Arizona