1. Where are you based?
I am based in Lakewood, Ohio, which is just west of downtown Cleveland.

2.  How do you go about choosing subjects for your work?
Well, when I'm working on a show I try to come up with a general theme that I want all of the paintings to revolve around. From there I try to come up with individual concepts for paintings that fit into that theme. For example, my last show, "Garden of Shadows", the basic theme was the idea of flowers and how each different type symbolizes different characteristics based on the folklore surrounding them, but also how all of them together symbolize fleeting beauty and the fragility of life. So I came up with female figures that each personified the symbolism behind different types of flowers, but also represented a fleeting moment in time and an individual moment of beauty. From there I chose models for each painting that I thought represented the characteristics I was trying to portray.

3. What does success mean to you?
Success to me is personal happiness. My happiness comes from fulfilling my goals, pursuing my passion and being a good girlfriend, daughter, sister and friend.

4. What song lyric best describes you?
"I knew that you had a flame in your heart" from a Bat for Lashes song.

5. How does being an artist affect your personal relationships?
Well, being an artist requires a lot of work. They always told us in college that being a professional artist would require us to work day and night. At the time, I didn't really buy it, but now I realize they were right. So, my social life is definitely limited by the amount of time I put into my art. I also think that being an
artist can lend itself to certain personality traits. I tend to be a bit of a loner and I can definitely get moody sometimes. My boyfriend has learned to be very patient with me at times. ;)

6. What is the biggest sacrifice you made for your craft?
I have definitely sacrificed my social life. All I really do is work and it gets frustrating at times to not have time to hang out with friends or go to a movie or even just take a nap when I want to. I've learned to be very structured with my time and sometimes I wish I could be less serious and just do something fun and spontaneous.

7.  If there were an art hall of fame what about you or your work would earn you a place in it?
I think I'd get a place in the hall of fame for my attention to detail. I feel like I have a lot of patience when it comes to painting tiny, tiny details and that's one of the things that makes my art interesting.

8.  Outside of art what makes you an interesting person?
Well, it's actually hard to think of something because so many of the things I do have something to do with art, but I did happen to be at a party once where Ron Jeremy entertained us all with a piano solo. Who would have thought he played piano?

9. What bit of info that you know now on that you wish they would have told you in school?
I wish they would have spent more time teaching us how to market ourselves. I feel like I am definitely lacking in this area and it's a very important part of being an artist.

10.  How do you know when a piece is finished?
Ha ha, this has always been a very difficult thing for me. Being a perfectionist, I have a tendency to work on things to death. Having a deadline definitely helps. I don't think I'd ever a finish a piece otherwise.

11. Where do you see the art world going and how does that play into your future plans?
I think, like anything, the art market has to adapt to the way the world is changing. There seems to be a pretty significant divide between the fine art world and the lowbrow or more illustrative/commercial art world. I see my art as falling somewhere in between the two. In order to make a living as an artist it seems like branching out into the commercial world through books, toys, posters, etc. is one of the best ways to make a living. I like the idea of branching out into these areas, but I definitely always want to be true to myself as an artist and let my style continue to grow and evolve.

12.  Is there a subject that you wanted to paint but haven’t yet?
I really enjoy painting things that are very detailed, which is why human faces are so interesting to me. In the future I would really like to try painting more animals. I've always been an animal lover and I think animals can portray a lot of emotion and mood.

13. Where can people purchase your work?
People can purchase my work through the Corey Helford Gallery (www.coreyhelfordgallery.com). A few of my paintings from past shows are still available and I also have a few shows coming up; one in April and one in November both at Corey Helford. People can also feel free to visit my website and email me directly with any inquiries into paintings they are interested in. www.melissaformanstudio.com