Melanie Earle has been drawing and painting since she was thirteen years old. Around that time she was enrolled in a Saturday watercolour class and her instructor suggested to tutor her privately. This was the beginning of her exploration of the painting medium as a means of expressing herself artistically. Melanie later attended summer drawing and painting workshops at the Banff School for the Arts. Her goals became clear and she decided to pursue a post-secondary education in art.
She began her studies in Fine Arts at the University of Manitoba and then decided to move to Toronto after being accepted to The Ontario College of Art. It was here that she started to mature as an artist, exploring ideas through the visual arts. While mostly painting and making sculpture, her work was inspired by the natural world. Melanie has over the years incorporated ‘natural imagery’ in an effort to express her vision – that nature is the greatest teacher and inspiration.
After graduating from OCAD in 1985, she helped found and became a member of an artists’ collective called “Republic”. She was involved in this group for around four years, showing and organizing shows in Toronto. Melanie has also worked in the commercial arts as a graphic artist and a colourist. For over twenty years she has had her own studio-run business – Sourceworks – creating unique ceramic molds for her ceramic sculpture, vessels and jewelry, something that is in keeping with her artistic vision. As well in 2008, she founded the artists’ group, The Grey Highlands Artists’ Collective (GHAC).
