I’m drawn to the elements around us that show signs of change that are evidence of the cycle of life.  As I walk or drive down the street, I notice things that have weathered time such as paint peeling from the side of a house and metal rusting in patterns.  These physical changes remind me how quickly life changes.  I tell the stories of that change through painting. We look at things as they are today, and they evoke memories or imagined stories of how they began and they show evidence of where they’re headed.  I like to capture them at that special moment when they have neared the end of their current existence, when they will be tossed aside to decompose or will be brought back to life.  I find the beauty in this process and see how the colors and textures of this process are full of what we commonly think of as beautiful. We only need to pause and notice it.

– melissa levine