'Having lived in Big Sur most of my life, I am constantly surprised and delighted at how rich and varied the coast and mountains are. Always changing, often challenging, I think of my life here as "life on the edge". This quality of life in Big Sur parallels my own desire to paint on the edge as well, moving between inner and outer landscape, between what seems to be external and what is clearly internal.'

Artist Melissa Lofton was born in Carmel California and is a longtime resident of the Big Sur area. Playing between landscape painting, born out of her love for the natural world and abstract work, a natural expression of inner worlds, Lofton paints large format canvases in oil, characterized by complex, lively color and texture. She also paints the people and everyday objects in her world and in her travels. A lifelong delight in fabric gave birth to ongoing 'laundry' series. Chairs, water, oak and madrone trees are also ongoing subjects of fascination for her and are painted in many permutations. Her abstract work has the quality of places in dreams, where anything is possible.

Lofton maintains a studio at her home in the mountains of Big Sur and also has a studio in downtown Carmel.