Mel Doohan's Story

Mel Doohan is an emerging artist. She has always had a passion for art who began has devote time to painting on a regular basis after time allowed in 2011. Since then Mel has been a regular attendee at Workshop Arts Centre Willoughby, predominantly under the tutorage of artist and well respected art teacher, Michael Herron. She has also attended many workshops run by other artists, watched countless painting videos, attended galleries and experimented with various painting styles and with both acrylics and oils. Mel now paints predominantly in oils from her home-based studio in Sydney. 

 

Mel spent much of her childhood growing up on the land in Far Western NSW and has an affinity for wide open spaces and remote and rugged landscapes. She is heavily inspired by the bright colours, strong light and the incredible natural beauty she sees in nature. She aims to capture the essence of the outback in her paintings, often by exaggerating salient features through use of small areas of stronger colour or varying brushstroke. Some of her works are inspired by seasonal changes and weather patterns which can be both dynamic and dramatic. Sometimes Mel paints outback landscapes using softer colours and brushstrokes to represent the sense of belonging and nurture she feels whenever memories of her childhood in the outback are rekindled.

 

Mel now loves the opportunity to go on Art Expeditions to paint en plein air and to gather more inspiration for her work. Recent trips have been to the Flinders Ranges and Kakadu. She also loves to relive, reinterpret and share her experiences of travel to these and other destinations through painting back in her studio. Mel's painting “Nyemba Fish traps in Peril” was selected as a finalist in the 2020 John Villier’s Outback Art prize.