MelanieJoy

Online Store I had the idea for this going around in my head for days along with (of course)   Loreena McKennitt - Night Ride Across The Caucasus I am so happy with how it turned out. In fact, I enjoyed this so much I am making many more, different colors, trees, scenery.... watch for them in the future!

I'll Leave My Love Between The Stars [2016] oil on canvas, gallery wrapped 20x20 inches / 51x51 cm cdn + shipping $350.00 Online Store Have I told you I love the movie Labyrinth yet?  Of course I have. That's the first thing I put on when I picked up my first brush. I have been a David Bowie fan since I was a kid.  But not in the way you think.  I admit that I really am not very familiar with much of his music. And he has a lot! Don't get me wrong though, I love his music. Except the song 'Space Oddity', that one gives me chills to the very core of my being and I don't really know why. The movie was my first introduction to him and wow was he awesome. (He may be the reason that I have always had an attraction to Goth-type men. Or punk men that wear makeup. And men with long hair....) I remember holding up the microphone to the tv speakers to record the music onto a cassette, I was enthralled by all of it.  And it was him, and all tha...

A Gentle Lullaby oil on canvas, gallery wrapped 10x14 inches / 25x35.5 cm Sold Online Store I had a dream about this in October 2015.  Sometimes they become a reality. Better this than some of my other dream options! There is a shine on the left tree that I am unable to fully remove, so please note that the edge is not 'bright', it's normal.

Online Store Today is Vincent Van Gogh's Birthday.  He is in my top 5 favourite painters, but not for the reasons one would think.  Not because I am 'supposed to' or he's 'all the rage'. But because his starry night changed my little mind forever. When I was in Grade 4, my teacher Miss Woodman, gave us an assignment to color famous paintings from a colorless photocopied version. We were encouraged to colour it as close as possible, but didn't have to. We were free to express our interpretation. Now I must explain something before I go any further.  I grew up in a small town that under-appreciated Art and over-appreciated Crafts. They did not encourage artistic talent. I had not been pre-exposed to Old Master paintings and was only aware of the art that happened in my home. My Mom was the original Scrapbooker and she is a VERY creative woman. My Dad made (and still makes) amazing things with wood, the way he touches the wood during a project has left  m...

T he Heart of Venus oil on canvas, gallery wrapped 14x16 inches / 35.5x40.5 cm cdn +shipping $200.00 Online Store Why Venus?  Well, I am a big fan of C.S. Lewis' Silent Planet trilogy and in one of the books the protagonist travels to Perelandra - aka Venus. Lewis imagined the planet to be a watery planet with floating shifting islands everywhere. And I felt that a unique tree would be at the heart of this world.

Midnight's Summer Dream oil on canvas, gallery wrapped 8x10 inches / 20x25 cm cdn +shipping  I do need to take a better picture of this, but in the meantime... enjoy!

For The Love of Neptune oil on canvas, gallery wrapped 12x16 inches / 30.5x40.5 cm cdn +shipping $150.00 I wasn't going to post this one until December, but I came across an article that is in the current news and thought I would join in the fun. I painted this in June 2015, but this article didn't come out until October 27, 2015. And even though mine was not intended to be a 'distorted star', the artist interpretation for the article caught my attention, as you can see if you check it out. So here is my Neptune , the blue planet, the Poseidon planet.  Depending on the angle and lighting, the color ranges from ice blue to a warm green. (and yes the picture has a shine, one of those hard ones to get a good shot)  For The Love of Neptune {2015} close up Facts about Neptune

Virgo's Candy Island / Demeter's Paradise oil on canvas, gallery wrapped 12x16 inches / 30.5x40.5 cm Sold Online Store After I painted this I went searching what to name it, as it felt a little like Perelandra (Venus) in C.S. Lewis' epic Space Trilogy, but alas it didn't feel right. Then I found the planet GJ 504b .  It sounds like such a technical name for a planet. But the Artist's representation was gorgeous and very fitting. And the planet is found in the constellation of Virgo - hence the name.  Then through my husbands searching skills, he told me the Greek Goddess Demeter is associated with Virgo. I have my own personal back story involving Demeter so that fit too. And my imagination went from there and I couldnt decide on a name. So it got both.

Beside Still Waters oil on canvas, gallery wrapped 12x16 inches / 30.5x40.5 cm not available Online Store This was painted for a very special customer (and person) as a gift. <3  Thank you for all of your amazing support! Edit June 6th, 2016; I painted this for my Aunt Anita Clare. She passed away suddenly on Mother's Day 2016 and she has really left a large hole for so many of us. I am both sad and grateful that I chose the name I did for this painting. She was an amazing woman and the best short description of her that I can share is from her son "She had the most amazing ability to love people for all the reasons they were worth loving and forgive them for the reasons they weren’t." If you didn't know her then I feel sad that your life was missing her in it. I miss her everyday, I miss her when I finish a painting and want to show it off to her, I miss her hugs and her laughter, her stubbornness, her daily emails of love and normal life, her s...

Online Store This painting has been a slow process over a couple of years, I am happy with how whimsical it turned out.

Lost In The Dark Woods oil on canvas, gallery wrapped 12x16 inches / 30.5x40.5 cm Sold Online Store I like Halloween, so here is my 'spookie' painting early, just couldn't wait!

When I started with this painting, I didn't have the eye shape in mind, But as I looked at the blue swirl in the middle, I started to see an iris, an iris that contained an infinite universe.  And who better to contain that universe in it's eye! A dragon of course! The outer paint is much thicker than any of my previous paintings, so much I had to allow for extra drying time. So much that I would like to do more with this thickness of paint in the future. Over all I am very pleased with how it turned out, even if the picture is a little blurry around the edges.

The Adventurous Wanderer oil on canvas, gallery wrapped 12x16 inches / 30.5x40.5 cm not available Online Store 20 years ago today, my sister was tugging on my toe to wake me. She casually told me 'it was time'.  And as she mildly sat there eating toast, we all rushed around to get ready to go to the hospital. I was there when my nephew was born, and he came out screaming!  Since that day I have been honoured to have been there for his first steps, first words, first day of school, and his graduation.  And in between all those grand events, were the not so ordinary days, when we would play together, watch movies, visit museums and such, make art together, and spend time talking.  I even saved his life twice.  He has had to put up with my 'words of wisdom' and 'oh so great advice' and has taken it with stride and grace. He is also very good about how much I embarass him, like now! He is a profound young man. Behind his quiet nature (...

Online Store Those are indeed sparkles. Lots of them, like an exploding star.

September Slips Through The Sky oil on canvas, gallery wrapped 12x16 inches / 30.5x40.5 cm Sold Online Store

Available on Amazon.ca Within the pages are words that healed me, gave me hope, and helped me deal with grief. My wish for this book is to inspire, uplift and give comfort to all that read it.

Not What It Seems oil on canvas, gallery wrapped 12x16 inches / 30.5x40.5 cm cdn +shipping $200.00 Online Store coming soon  I painted this after watching the movie version of  Terry Pratchett's " The Colour of Magic. "  It was supposed to have some colour, but I was convinced to leave it as is.  And I was satisfied with that. Close up of moon Edit:  March 12, 2015 Terry Pratchett passed away.  I am late in the game to his work, but thankfully his imagination will be eternal. Thank you Mr. Pratchett <3

One of my favorite musicians to listen to when painting is Enya .  Her music was made for me.  So I thought I would pay homage to her in naming this painting after one of her songs/albums; The Memory of Trees.  Youtube of Album. and Lyrics . It was originally going to be call 'Old Photograph' and look a little more monochrome, but as is the art, it took it's own form. Thank you Enya for flowing freely with your art so that I may flow freely with mine. <3 *This was also the painting I used for the cover of my Poetry Book 

To The Moon oil on canvas, gallery wrapped 8x10 inches / 20x25 cm  cdn +shipping $80.00 I painted this in response to an overwhelming flood of support from the Dogecoin community on Reddit. (Internet currency) My husband sent a request on the forums to up the views on this site as a 5th Anniversary present for me, and did they ever respond! I had 1600+ unique views to this site in ONE DAY, and a lot of great feedback. An amazing present to get from someone you love, and one of a kind. The picture itself isn't a vast stretch from many of the pictures that are posted on the forum, but I wanted to keep it clean and simple. It was fun to do, and I even completed it in time to submit it to a contest ( I did not win). Whether you understand what I mean when I talk about Dogecoin or not, doesn't matter. The fact of the matter is my husband gave me the gift of encouragement in a way I would never have thought of. And this group of people that I have never met ...

For my big sister Sheri's Birthday And even though we can't spend the time together, I have been working on something for her.  I started it some time ago but due to regular life stuff, I have been unable to complete it. I don't even have a name yet.  I am not going to explain what the rest will look like as that would ruin the total surprise for her, but just know she likes black and white in her pictures. She has taught me many wonderful things, watched out for me, contributed money and time to me and those she loves just to see us smile (like a plane ticket for me cross country, just to see my Dad's face when I arrive for his birthday). I know she has fought battles for me that I will never know about and would take the head of any one not willing to be a good friend. And she has watched more cheesy horror movies with me than I can count, embarrassed me at restaurants and cooked some amazing suppers for me.  She has let me into her life with her and her son an...

Online Store This was so very different, but I loved doing it. It changed some of my techniques, stretched my knowledge and still allowed me to enjoy it immensely.  It is a painting of the Prison Chateau d'If at night, from the novel  The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas , also turned into a movie of the same name .

Watercolours In The Rain oil on canvas, gallery wrapped 12x16 inches / 30.5x40.5 cm Commision Sold Online Store Definitely something different and a bit of a challenge to get the style and colours that were desired by the customer, it pushed me past my normal palette and I like that very much. I am very pleased with the results, as is the customer <3

Four Point Florets oil on canvas, gallery wrapped 4 piece, 6x6inch, each Sold Online Store I had some amazing square canvases and finally decided what to do with them. Can be hung like this or any other pattern.

The Fabric Of Time And Space oil on canvas, gallery wrapped 8x10 inches / 20x25 cm Sold Online Store Doctor Who anyone? In August of 2012 I had this as an idea.  I finally decided to complete it and I am very pleased with the results. And I didn't realize until after I had completed it that it made me think of Doctor Who, which I only started watching in January this year. I already have some more ideas that will replicate the technique I used on this painting.

Dance of the Fireflies oil on canvas, gallery wrapped 12x16 inches / 30.5x40.5 cm Sold Online Store Sometimes ones emotions can project them into a new style of painting, at the least expected moment.

The Place oil on canvas 8x10 inches / 20x25 cm not available Online Store I love Bob Ross, he is my Carl Sagan of the art world.  I learn so much about attitude and technique from him and even though I have developed my own style, sometimes it's nice to just get back to the fundamental basics of what he taught.  So this is the result of that. Thank you Bob.

Online Store Another name I would have chosen was " Every Breath That Stirs the Trees ".  After reading the poem The Autumn by Elizabeth Barrett Browning , I found it was a good description of how this painting makes me feel.   The Autumn Wind by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I was about to start over on this canvas, as it was not what I was in my head, but then the husband turned it.  It became a whole new painting, so I continued.

My Artist name has been revised from MJ Toews to MelanieJoy .  Why? you might ask.  There are a few reasons, mostly personal and one legal; to make it easier for myself and for my clientele. Since this is what my Mom still calls me, it will be easy to stay me, to keep painting with the same child-like abandonment, creating worlds that may or may not exist to the naked eye, but do indeed make us see the imagination we all still secretly hold in our souls. Thank you for all your support, it means the world to me.

Monsoon oil on canvas 20x24 inches / 51x61 cm cdn +shipping $200.00 This complements my previous painting " Rain ". I could not get the color in the photo to be as rich as the painting itself is, all I can say is to visit the  'sister' painting for the richness.

The Surging Of The Merrow oil on canvas 8x10 inches / 20x25 cm Sold Online Store By the time I was finished this, it revealed hidden Merfolk. *There is a bit of shine that developed with the picture that is not in the actual painting. Merrow;  Gaelic Merfolk ~  Native to Lorwyn/Shadowmoor. Aligned with white as well as blue in Lorwyn, the Merrow live in the many deep rivers and streams.

This is the final painting in the Series 'Out of the Dark'. It is different from the other 3 in colour and technique but the effect is still the same. I had a hard time using photo manipulation software to reduce the glare on either side of the edges, so the edges seem a bit 'fake'. The original painting itself is much more even.  Note; original photo quality was poor

Long Night's Moon, aka 'December' oil on canvasboard 9x12 inches / 23x30.5 cm Sold Online Store The Full Cold Moon; or the Full Long Nights Moon – December -  During this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest. It is also sometimes called the Moon before Yule. The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long, and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time.   ~ farmer's almanac 

Midnight Blossoms oil on canvas 11x18 inches/ 28x46 cm Sold Online Store Well, it took a year, but I have completed it!  And it turned out exactly how I wanted, which is a rare thing indeed.

Still Some Mystery Befalls oil on canvas 16x20 inches / 40.6x51 cm cdn +shipping $300.00 Online Store coming soon Aaah, I wish you could see it in person. I spent most of my time painting this listening to Loreena McKennit, particularly Bonny Portmore.  If you are not familiar with this song, I suggest a listen; Bonny Portmore by Loreena McKennitt $300.00

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