Dimmitt Contemporary Art Houston is pleased to announce SUMMERTIME DREAMS, an exhibition of paintings by Sacramento-based artist Melissa Chandon. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, May 9, 2024 from 5:00 - 8:00pm with the artist in attendance. The exhibition will be on view through June 7, 2024.
Through her use of animated, Pop-inspired colors and pared-down compositions, Melissa Chandon’s paintings push everyday scenes toward the brink of imaginative, dynamic abstraction. In her vibrant, graphic world infused with California light, the landscape breaks down into basic elements—what she calls “core essence”—while shadows and reflections take on a life of their own. Born as a child of the 50’s, road trips were her parents’ passion. They saw the American landscape as a means of educating their 5 children, exposing them to the humanity of highways, small towns, truck stops and KOA Kampgrounds all across the country. To this day, Melissa continues to find the common things along the road fascinating: motels, amusements, petrol stations and neon signs to name a few.
Chandon draws inspiration from several artists including David Hockney, Edward Hopper, Richard Deibenkorn and Wayne Thiebaud. Thiebaud was also a valuable mentor and encouraged her to push forward with examination and determination. Thiebaud said of Chandon’s work: “She has developed an effective synthesis of abstract and representational elements in her works. This gives the works an intensity and raw graphic power to behold.”
Melissa Chandon earned her BFA from Santa Clara University in California, specializing in painting and philosophy, before completing her MFA at Lesley University College of Art and Design in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her paintings grace esteemed public, private, and corporate collections, including the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, the Napa Valley Museum of Art, the Triton Museum of Art, and numerous notable private collections.
