Melissa Ellen Art

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04/28/2026

Three minis created from a variety of magazine scraps, the background is layered with pages from The Prince of Tides.

04/23/2026

Meet Bear. Created alongside Cooper, and one of the last pet commissions I’ll be taking as I move into other work. These pieces are always special, and I’m grateful to be trusted with them.

Bear is pieced from vintage Saturday Evening Post magazines, an old Grand Ole Opry songbook, and worn literature on an 18”x24” wood panel. His background is layered with pages from The Wind in the Willows, a story centered on friendship, family, and what matters most.

Small messages of love and rest are tucked into his fur, with his name resting along his lower back.

04/15/2026

Meet Cooper. This golden retriever is built from repurposed vintage magazines, maps and a few National Geographic’s. Cooper sits on a 24”x30” wood panel, his background is layered with pages from Where the Red Fern Grows.

One of the last pet commissions I’ll be creating as my work moves in a new direction.

04/06/2026

Meet “The Duke of Cumberland.” Inspired by Dr. Thomas Walker, an early explorer credited with naming and helping open the route through the Cumberland Gap.

His coat and vest are created from printed pages of his journal, layered with vintage ledgers, maps, land deeds, and newspapers. The background is built from pages of The Tennessee: Frontier to Secession.

This commissioned piece is heading to the Cumberland Club at Symphony Place in downtown Nashville.

04/02/2026

The past few weeks I’ve been spinning. Spring has brought so much and there hasn’t been a moment to stop and absorb everything. My oldest is graduating high school in less than two months and it’s so great but I also feel this lingering knowledge that life is about to change in a big way. Is there a word for knowing a future happy sadness is coming? These days are so beautiful and in a way so painful at the same time. I’m preparing for the Harding art show and I have this tug of life that keeps questioning if I’m paying enough attention to the here and now. My kids keep growing up, and I’m so grateful but I’d love to slow these days down with them and stretch it out like taffy. Sending hugs to all of you following along, I’m so thankful you are here!

Photos Mary Craven Dawkins

03/30/2026

Flora at home. There’s something so special about seeing a piece settle into its space, especially when it feels this natural. I love how the rose wallpaper pulls out the dusty sienna in her skirt.

03/15/2026

Red Wolf River Trail. 24” x 36”, collage on wood panel

The red wolf once lived across the Southeastern United States. This piece is layered with pages from The Call of the Wild and The Grapes of Wrath. The wolf itself and his landscape are built from vintage land deeds, agricultural ledgers, railroad records, maps, newspapers from the 1800s and more. The same kinds of documents that marked the changing landscape are what form the wolf here. This piece continues the thread from the bison I recently completed, looking back at animals that once moved through the Southeastern landscape.
Available

03/09/2026

Meet Molly, Edmund, Beatrice and Arthur. These four paper ducks are pieced together from a variety of vintage and contemporary magazines. Molly and Edmund have the Wind in the Willows pages layered for their background while Beatrice and Arthur’s background is the Secret Garden. These four will be available soon at the upcoming (April 29-May 1).

03/07/2026

Hi friends! It’s been a minute since I’ve properly said hello and reintroduced myself, and with some new faces here I wanted to say hi👋🏽

I’m Melissa, a mixed-media artist based in Nashville. I love history and storytelling, and most of my work begins with repurposed paper like old maps, literature pages, vintage magazines, and other found materials. I’m drawn to materials that already carry life, and I love bringing those fragments together into pieces that feel layered with history and meaning. Through cutting and layering paper, I often create animals and figures that feel both personal and familiar.

Before returning to art, I spent years in print design and later ran a magazine and online marketplace. Life shifted when my fourth child arrived early and I stepped away from that work to focus on family. Not long after, I found my way back to creating.

I’m a Nashville native, and when I’m not in my studio you’ll usually find me with my husband and four kids who keep life moving fast around here.

I’m really glad you’re here, thank you for following my art journey. If you’re new, I’d love to know where you’re following from!

Photo by

03/04/2026

Fun morning frame planning these little field studies with ❤️

03/02/2026

Prairie. Pieced from vintage land deeds, railroad ledgers, early newspapers, and song sheets, fragments of a shared Southern past.

Bison once migrated through Tennessee, carving traces across this land long before railroads followed. As expansion pushed west and Native tribes were displaced, the bison disappeared from this region, reshaping both land and history. The bluebird above him is native to Tennessee. A small but steady symbol of hope and resilience. 36”x48” on wood panel.

I can’t wait to share this piece soon at the upcoming

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Nashville, TN

Website

https://www.melissaellenart.com/

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