BIO

Born in Danbury, CT, 1973, Melissa Desmond Mohammadi currently works in Oakley, California.  She earned a BFA with a concentration in painting and printmaking from Rhode Island College (Providence, RI) and an MFA from Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX). She has enjoyed the generous support of the Montello Foundation Residency in Montello, NV, Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, CA and In Cahoots residency in Petaluma, CA. Her work is in many private and public collections and has been exhibited nationally.  She lives with her husband and three children on the Delta of the San Francisco Bay.

Download a PDF of my resume here.

statement

I believe that deep communion with botanical and marine lifeforms is a portal through which we may heal from the trauma of disconnection. Through my practice, I explore evidence of growth and the formal physical properties of plants, shells, fossils, sandworm colony remnants, forgotten vertebrae…our seemingly quiet non-human, earth-bound neighbors. I am drawing on layers of knowing and communication beyond the limitations of our various umwelts: beyond the boundaries of our sensory experiences as different species.

I begin by creating meticulously observed drawings and prints of each of my subjects. It is important to me to remain open through this process to whatever it is each being is offering. I do not seek to idealize or simplify the image, but to capture how these lifeforms are presenting themselves in that moment. Sometimes this takes me in unexpected directions as when a pool of grainy pigment or the crisp edge of cut paper better capture the energetic presence of the being in front of me.

This meditative process slows my focus and teaches me how to grow, how to mother, how to endure. My resultant drawings, prints, paintings, books, and installations are records of my gratitude and awe, and an invitation for others to slow down, find respite, and connect with our own inner wisdom so that they too may embark on the journey of nature healing itself.