A Story for Every Picture by Melanie Wissel mixes traditional plein air techniques with more contemporary approaches to create a show that is fun and summery. Her work is light, airy and easy. The show’s pastel hues showcase blue skies and pristine lakes while brightly colored foliage captures spring and summer blooms.

Melanie Wissel
*Banana Split 1*
Pencil on Strathmore Paper
10 x 13

Melanie Wissel
*Banana Split 2*
Oil
19.5 x 25.5

Banana Split 1 & 2 both feature ungrounded bananas, one in pencil and one in oil. In the pencil drawing, you can see Wissel playing with patterns as a decorative flourish. Banana Split 2 is scaled up and simplified, having no filigree but instead focusing on light and color. These pieces contain elements that will recur throughout the works.

Melanie Wissel
*The Scholar's House*
Oil
17 x 17

Most pieces are landscapes painted in the impressionist style. Architectural details flourish, bringing a comfortable, familiar feeling to the work. Wissel's work distinguishes itself with its specificity. Each house is distinct. It can't be mistaken for another home in another piece. Every piece in the show is self-contained, giving an air of freshness.

Melanie Wissel
*My Little Library*
Oil
20.5 x 26

Wissel’s use of pattern and repetition bring a sense of cohesion to the other pieces in the show. Shapes are repeated to form patterns within compositions. In Double Vision, the same home is painted twice in different styles. In My Little Library, angular red houses and yellow rectangles form a border around a central structure, suggesting a neighborhood.

Melanie Wissel
*Monet Moment*
Acrylic
18 x 18

Details in the work give clues to the stories each picture represents. In Monet Moment a bridge emerges from an abstracted landscape. In The Lure of Lithia, figures stand on the porch and balcony, hinting at deeper mysteries. Text appears in some pieces to flesh out the story even further. In 2 Urns, labeling the containers as urns points to their function as a funerary object. In Purple, digits recede and emerge from the background reminding us of binary code. Song lyrics appear in the sky as geometric patterns repeat again in Moving Stars.

Melanie Wissel
*Moving Stars*
Oil
18 x 21.5

Taken together, Wissel’s show invites the viewer to create their own story for each picture. Small details and repeating patterns combine to take the audience on a little journey through each landscape or idea. Wissel’s work leaves the impression that there is much more to her work than meets the eye.

See A Story for Every Picture throughout the month of July in the Harrison Center’s City Gallery.