Melenie is a native New Yorker now living in Canada. She graduated from New York University with both her BSc and MA degrees majoring in Studio Art and was a student at the Arts Students League of New York, studying with the great American painter, Knox Martin, her most important and cherished mentor. Amongst her major influences are Judith Leyster, Cezanne, Soutine, Matisse, Picasso, de Kooning and Martin. Melenie infuses her works with vibrant colours bursting with raw energy balanced by the spiritual power of Nature.