Melissa Frankel’s boldly colorful and graphic art has been seen on numerous television shows and commercials, in Quilting Arts magazine, and has been juried into the American Quilter’s Society, the International Quilt Association, and the World Quilt and Textile shows. Her art quilts have also been exhibitied in galleries with the textile art collective, Quilts on the Wall, and at juried shows in Southern California. She is driven by the challenge of recreating the perspective and light in the photos that she takes of people, trees, and flowers from unexpected angles. Her professional background in Set Decoration for television, film, and theater has led her into the life of part-time studio artist and entrepreneur, part-time decorator; with an eye for what an audience might see, she can express her fascination with the world while creating art that is understood and appreciated by others. A member of SAQA (Studio Art Quilters Associates), Melissa works primarily with silk and cotton; she uses thread painting as well as dying and hand painting to add detail and depth to her pieces.

Artist Statement

The efficiency of ants opening a peony, the color of a crimson dress on the desert plain, the convex reflection of my car in the back of a tanker truck all excite me. I cannot improve upon the beauty of nature or create a more fascinating world than the one that surrounds me, but I find it a stimulating challenge to capture small bits of it using cloth and paint as my medium.

Resume

Art Quilts juried into the following shows:

Road to California, 2004

American Quilter’s Society 21st Annual Quilt Show, Paducah, KY, semi-finalist, 2005

International Quilt Association Quilt Festival – Chicago, “Celebrate Spring”, finalist, 2005

International Quilt Association Quilt Festival - Houston, finalist, 2005

World Quilt and Textile Show, Manchester, NH and Columbus, OH, 2005

Quilting Arts Calendar 2006 Judge’s choice, published in Fall issue, 2005

Also exhibited at:

Provincetown Art Association Museum, Provincetown, MA 2005
“Unraveled”, Malaga Cove Library, Palos Verdes, CA 2004
“Unraveled II”, Malaga Cove Library, Palos Verdes, CA 2005
Hollywood Studio Gallery
Pinacoteka Picture Props
Omega Cinema Props

Quilts seen on the following tv shows / commercials:
Desperate Housewives, Half and Half, Eve, Missmatch, Outback Steakhouse, CSI, Weeds, Over There

Owner, Bliss Handbags and Accessories 1998 – 2005
Purses sold at Jennifer Kaufman and Jacqueline Jarrot, Beverly Center and online at blisshandbags.com

Set Decorator and Shopper / Buyer 1997 – 2005:
Television and feature films including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, E Ring and shows for NBC, CBS, Warner Brothers, MTV, SCI-FI, Showtime, Nickelodeon, Los Angeles, CA

Set Decorator and Prop Master 1994 - 1997:
Intiman Theatre, Seattle, WA
Empty Space Theatre, Seattle, WA
Seattle Shakespeare Festival, Seattle WA

Additional work in theater:
A Contemporary Theater, Seattle, WA
Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut
Arena Stage, Washington, D.C.
Mark Taper Theater, Los Angeles, CA

Education:
Germantown Friends School, Philadelphia, PA
Bachelors of Arts with Honors from Wesleyan University, Middletown Connecticut, Musicology, French
LA Community College - Computer Aided Architectural Drafting
Otis School of Design - Fashion Draping
additional studies with: Jane Olson, Becky McClure, Esterita Austin, Rosemary Eichorn, Sharon Schamber, Jane Dunnewold

Member of Studio Art Quilters Associates, Los Angeles Fiber Artists, Quilts on the Wall, American Quilter’s Society, International Quilt Association, American Craft Council