Fine Oil Paintings Education and Outreach for Our Wild using the Arts www.melodydebenedictis.com
Visit our Fine Art Gallery 'showcasing over 11 artists'
Located at 111 N. 3rd Street, Westcliffe CO 81252
Fall and Winter Hours 11-4pm Friday & saturday
Open by Appointment only through Jan and Feb
The Artist
Melody DeBenedictis
Seeing the WILD of the west through the eyes of an artist
The palette of rich color Melody uses to recreate the images of the west come alive with each stroke of her brush. Over the years Melody has been called 'prolific' in her creative abilities.
For over 13 years Melody has been using her Art and Music to educate and bring awareness to the Wild Mustang. Melody's Fine Art Gallery downtown Westcliffe Colorado is an extension of Outreach to share the beauty of our West and educate the public regarding the governments western land use and its effect on the wild that call these lands home. Melody coordinates and participates in events across the west to help advocate for the wild. If You have an event You would like supported by the Arts, music and speaking, reach out and we can discuss how we can best support Your event.
As a young child, Melody worked in pencil and pastels, eventually practicing oils as a youngster. In her teens and early adult years watercolor became her favored of mediums. She stepped away from her artistic gift in her mid twenties, only to pick it up again with a deep passion in her later adult years.
Making the move west, after living in the southeast coast and mountains most of her life, ignited a passion to begin her painting career full time as a Fine Artist. Melody spent several years traveling the west in her first vintage tin-can RV known as 'The Mustang Mansion' studying and exploring the wests wild mustang, wildlife and rangeland she vividly captures giving her a deep realistic artistic approach in her work. She continues that journey in her 2nd vintage tin-can inspired by her two former mustangs, 'Sierra Cancion and Sierra Rosa', her second vintage RV known as 'The Little Red Roan'. She has spent years visiting public range lands throughout numerous states across the west to living with a large herd of wild horses on a 5500 acre sanctuary. She has owned her own adopted wild and domestic horses learning social and herd behavior up close and personal, continuing to learn the lessons of the horse and wildlife as she lived 'wild' on an expansive rugged ranch in northern New Mexico with her horses, dogs and cats. Her connection to the wild mustang, the rangeland and other wildlife is evident in her collection of wild horse, equine, landscape and wildlife works.
Melody now calls Westcliffe, Colorado her home in the high desert of southern Colorado. The views of the Sangre de Cristo's inspire the outdoor beauty from her studio. When she is not in the studio painting, Melody also writes music, playing guitar and performing music and riding her horses. Melody has a great appreciation for the outdoors and nature, and you can find her in the outdoors of ranch living. Living the rugged ranch life affords great opportunity to study the local wildlife and flora year round adding to the process of creativity. Melody continues to travel and photograph the west and its wild, enriching her study and using her experiences and photographs to recreate on canvas.
To Contact for eventing or speaking please Contact us
Have a question you need answered? Feel free to contact us!