Melissa Cain was born in Indianapolis, IN in 1974. She grew up in the small town of Monrovia, IN. As a little girl, Melissa realized her ability to draw pictures by looking at her cartoon books. Throughout her life, she has always been fascinated by images and how the world is represented through the eyes of others. She excelled in art classes and has always been drawn to creativity. She attended International Business College for graphic design. After school she did have various jobs in her field, but was never really satisfied on a creative level. She has painted murals for friends, many sets of cornhole boards, and other various painting jobs and she knew painting was something she wanted to do on a regular basis. After her neurologist suggested she take up a hobby to help relieve stress, she decided to make art more of a priority. She started offering kids painting birthday parties after her son had one and it was a hit with all of his guests. She has been teaching acrylic lessons ever since. She offers lessons to kids and adults, both in group and one-on-one settings.
After teaching for a year, she began experimenting with abstract art as a way to separate the ‘job’ from the hobby, since her classes were in realism. Since then her works have evolved from 2-D acrylic pieces to 3-D abstracts and everything in between. She uses the practice of letting the art “do what it’s gonna do”, so she goes into new projects with a basic idea but not a very tight plan. She is a true believer of the great advice from the late Bob Ross…”there’s no mistakes in art, just happy accidents”. Melissa truly enjoys watching the art take on a look of its own and knowing it’s going to be what it was meant to be. Obsessed with texture, she often uses random, everyday items in her works to create a unique look.
Diagnosed with epilepsy as an adult, creating art has also proven to help eliminate the frequency of the seizures. Coincidentally, having epilepsy has also been linked to stimulating creativity and it is believed that many other famous artists from history shared this diagnosis. Melissa is passionate about the healing and therapeutic values of art and spreading awareness to the world about epilepsy, its stigmas and the important impact art can have on people who struggle to cope with the condition.
Melissa’s goal is to inspire others to express themselves by being creative in some way, whether it’s art, music, cooking, etc., as well as help others have a better understanding and appreciation of art.
