Melissa Loop is an artist from Minneapolis whose paintings are based on her travels to faraway places that play on the idea of nostalgia, fantasy and memory…
I was in Tikal sitting on top of the highest temple after sunset with about a dozen other tourists. We were listening to our Mayan guide tell us a story about him and his twin brother born in the Rainforest. The Mayans believe that twins are of the gods. A sign of good luck. In the distance, the tops of the other temples peaked above the Rainforest and we watched a lightning storm dance in the sky. Part of the scene was a setup created for us tourists. However, part of it was a rare moment in time that contained all of the mystic and spiritual clarity that we search for when traveling to faraway places. The set up cliche became an actual moment of transcendence. By making these half fantasy paintings, I participate in the cliche. However, I can’t help but search for those rare moments where everything transcends and becomes magical again.
i particularly love her series Outside Looking In – those tropical scenes and starry skies! she also sells prints of her work at her online shop, this one is my favourite.
