Melissa Cole was born in Oregon and raised in London, Hong Kong, and India. She graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Zoology. She has spent time working in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic in environmental education, as a dive guide in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, and as a naturalist guide in Baja, Mexico. She has written over 30 children’s natural history books and travels with her husband Brandon, who is a wildlife photographer specializing in marine life. It is from these amazing encounters that she derives much of her inspiration for her vividly colored, heavily textured and patterned paintings and mosaic sculptures. Drawing from her background in science, Cole creates vibrant examinations and celebrations of nature with glittering accents of glass and other mixed media.

Click here to see a video with Melissa Cole and some of her new works.

Melissa’s work is represented in Arizona by Wilde Meyer Galleries.  Click on any piece to enlarge it.

Meep Meep Melissa Cole 12" x 24" acrylic on canvas $575

Chicken Lovin' Mama Melissa Cole 30" x 24" acrylic on wood with glass accents $1475

Hopping Down the Bunny Trail Melissa Cole 30" x 24" acrylic on wood with glass accents $1475

Barrel Racing Melissa Cole 30" x 30" acrylic on canvas $1875

Got Your Goat Melissa Cole 12" x 8" x 4" porcelain, paint $545

Georgia on My Mind Melissa Cole 24" x 24" mixed media $975

Sweetie Melissa Cole 12" x 12" mixed media $385

Rainbow Connection Melissa Cole 20" x 10" mixed media $425

Protector 10" x 10" x 8" stoneware $675

Phaenopepla Frolic Melissa Cole 24" x 20" mixed media $1025

You Are My Sunshine Melissa Cole 12" x 12" mixed media $385

Rabbitbrush Reverie Melissa Cole 20" x 10" mixed media $455

Silence at Last Melissa Cole 17" x 11" acrylic on wood with fusedd glass accents $585