I was drawn to Melissa’s artwork by the bright and dynamic colours that she uses, as well as the delicious use of texture that is found in all of her paintings.

I feel fortunate that I have acquired several different pieces of hers, and love how each piece is so unique to the others. Two of these  paintings are hung above grand pianos, where they can be admired while we make music.

One of my favourites hangs in my teaching studio and I have been pleasantly surprised how often we reference the painting in our lessons. In music we often discuss colours, contrast, light and texture etc. so to have Melissa’s beautiful painting as a visual reference while we discuss these elements in our music is not only inspirational to our students but has also enriched many areas of their lessons as well as creativity.

The paintings add much energy to each room they are in, and help us to more deeply appreciate our music while we also admire the many intricacies involved in her original artwork.

We hunted for a long time to find a painting or painter that could capture our memories of the USA and particularly our hikes whilst living there. After years searching we commissioned Melissa McKinnon from Calgary, Canada for a personal piece depicting the Aspens so familiar to us on our hikes in the Salt Lake City area, textured and vivid in style.

We even asked to have Daisy (our dog) captured forever on canvas, as in our hearts, as she accompanied us throughout our hikes and life there – cheekily hidden in the woods as she so often did exploring on our hikes.

Melissa is the amazing artist who brought our memories to life, an arresting and colourful piece, so perfect (we cannot thank you enough Melissa). It has been fantastic and so easy working with you. We are so happy with the painting, it most certainly will bring us a lifetime of joy.

My wife Jen and I are proud owners of “Out on a Limb” by Melissa McKinnon. It’s a wonderful piece of art that is one of a kind, and brings amazing colours and textures into a showpiece location in our home.

Like so much of Melissa’s art, the textures are as vibrant as the colours and the look of the painting changes depending on the time of the day or season of the year – an aspect that we love in her work.

Melissa is fantastic to deal with and she clearly takes immense pride in the quality of her work as well as the nature of her interactions with potential and existing collectors.

I have been following and admiring Melissa McKinnon’s paintings for several years, and it has been amazing to see the evolution of Melissa as an artist and how her love of beautiful landscapes is so aptly captured and expressed in every piece of art she creates.

When I first saw her paintings live, I was absolutely mesmerized by the colour, the depth, the textures….and how her paintings actually transported me to standing amongst the aspens, or to looking out my own window to the vast foothills and Canadian Rockies surrounded by the complex Alberta sky.

Art is such a personal experience and for me, when paintings evoke emotion, when senses are activated, and when the magnetism holds you there in a hypnotized state, that’s when I know the artist has made a difference and is etched in my memory, just like the many memories of the Alberta landscapes that will forever be with me. Melissa’s paintings have that personal effect on me and why I’m one of her biggest fans.

We love our two paintings by Melissa!  And so does everyone else who visits our home.

We met Melissa early in her career as an artist, and reconnected with her when we were renovating our home and knew that we wanted a beautiful new piece of art. We visited one of her Open Houses, and there was our piece!

It was large and beautiful, and it was also vibrant, colorful and alive.  Because we loved it so much, we found another wall that we wanted another piece of Melissa’s art for.  This needed a specific size and content, and Melissa was able to commission a new piece for us, with the exact specifics that we wanted. This process was equally exciting, because she kept us informed of the process and sent us photos of the ‘work in progress’.

We are happy to talk about Melissa and her art, and the beauty that it has brought into our home.  Melissa is friendly, warm and family-oriented, and because of all of her characteristics and our history, we feel like we know her.  For us, that is the catch.  We have artwork in our home from someone that we have a connection with. That connection makes her paintings feel very personal and important to us.

Thank you Melissa!

Melissa McKinnon’s paintings are breathtakingly beautiful.  She has a unique ability to capture not only the serene beauty of the skies and landscapes that she paints, but also to bring alive the spirit of nature.  Her art makes me feel closer to nature, which leaves me feeling calm, inspired, and optimistic.

I first became acquainted with Melissa’s artwork while doing some minor remodeling in her studio and was particularly drawn to the paintings of birch trees. Her colorful representations of the leaves and the trees moved me to request a painting for myself.

Melissa listened intently as I described my family, including my wife, 4 children and growing number of grandchildren. I asked her if she would do a similar painting with the trees reflecting each member of my family, plus a few trees in the distance to reflect members not yet born. Melissa graciously accepted the challenge.

When the final painting was unveiled to me it was clear that she had captured my vision and placed it so well onto the canvas. She named the painting “Eternally Ours”, very appropriate as I have always believed that families can be together beyond this life into the eternities.

Thank you Melissa for your inspired translation of my vision to a work of art on canvas. “Eternally Ours” and its bright colours now hangs in my home for all to appreciate, including myself as I gaze upon it everyday as I come through the door. Well done Melissa!

My wife and I had our first experience with commissioning a painting for our new luxury condominium and the whole process was delightful, as is the end result.

We heard about Melissa McKinnon through our interior designer and once contact was made the process moved forward quickly.  Melissa came to our home to have a look at the colors that would need to be picked up in the painting and analyzed how the colors would come together in the different lighting during the day.

Once we agreed on the size and concept, Melissa went away to begin the painting.   She sent us a photo of the initial drawing on the canvas for approval within the time frame she had originally proposed.  Melissa again sent a photo of the progress made to the underpainting stage further explaining how things will change once the final painting is done. When the work was pretty much complete, Melissa gave us another opportunity to check out the colors and made adjustments as requested, then delivered the final work to our home.

We get many comments on the piece as it hangs in prominence in our home.   Thank you Melissa for the fine work!

A WEDDING STORY…
My then fiancé and I were getting married in a few months and had wanted to have a piece of art as our wedding gift from friends and family rather than a traditional wedding registry.

We didn’t have any idea what type of art but the moment I came across a picture of Melissa’s art that a mutual friend of ours had shared on facebook, I fell in love with it! I showed my fiancé that night and he loved her work also. From then on it was a wonderful and easy process once we contacted Melissa.

She created a painting for us that was based on her beautiful and colorful aspen and birch tree scenes. We didn’t see it until the evening of our wedding reception where it was unveiled to us and our guests as a surprise. We couldn’t be more pleased with our painting.

It hangs in our dining room off the kitchen where we can see it every single day. It means so much to us to know that it was painted just for us and is such a perfect reminder of our wedding day and the time leading up to it.

It will be cherished in our home forever. Thank you Melissa!”

OMG Melissa!! I AM SO IN LOVE with my painting!!

It is hanging on a tall narrow wall in my living room and I am now considering rearranging my furniture around the painting rather than the fireplace being the focal point!

It’s so alive and vibrant I feel like a now have an extra window!! This is honestly more beautiful than I imagined when I first commissioned the painting!

You are such an amazing artist!! Thank you so much!

I love your art, I think you are extremely talented! I’m a huge Group of Seven fan and your work seems to be a contemporary answer to much of their art.

Melissa McKinnon painted this amazing aspen and birch tree painting for me and completed it just in time for the arrival of our daughter, Ada!

She included a tree to represent each member of my family and worked with me each step to insure the colours and mood were exactly what I wanted.

I am so proud to hang this original piece in my home!! Thank you Melissa!!

Our painting arrived yesterday safe and sound. It’s beautiful and makes me smile whenever I look at it! Thank you again!!

We are loving our 2 gorgeous original paintings. It’s great to look at them while the light changes, bringing out the colors differently & enhancing the textures!

My favorite reactions have been from my father stopping in front of “Wild Earth” and commenting what a stunning piece it was (as he is a man of few words), & my cousin looking at “Blushing Sky” and feeling as if she was in a dream.

I honestly have not found another artist who uses colors like you do!

I can’t even begin to express our delight and gratitude for our new painting. You’ve outdone yourself Melissa!

Our family has gained a deeper appreciation for life and art through our experience working with you. We treasure our custom painting and so does everyone who has the pleasure to see it.

Without a doubt it’s become a family heirloom and will passed down to our children. (Now we need another one so they can each have one!) Will be in touch again shortly.