ABOUT

Melissa Steinhauser is an abstract painter, who works out of her Westport, CT studio producing work in acrylic on paper and canvas. With a degree in journalism from New York University she has over 20 years experience in fashion, notably at Elle Magazine, before finding her painterly side. Her striking canvases borrow some of the same elements that make for good fashion–shape and color. 

"Human forms are naturally beautiful–as a fashion editor and stylist, I felt that the architecture of clothing should accentuate this beauty, the drape of the fabric, the cuts, the overall shape. Then, of course, color conveys emotion. A well-chosen palette applied to the right shape brings forms to life." 

Steinhauser brings some of these same principles to her art. Her sense of color, informed by some of her favorite designers such as Missoni, Etro and Emilio Pucci has become even more refined by her training at Silvermine School of Art, where she studies with Derek Leka, an artist known for his expertise in color theory and abstract expressionism, and Josef Albers, who studies the interaction of color at the Art Students League. 

Steinhauser's deeply affecting pieces harness coordinated colors and carefully conceived shapes that make some of her pieces vibrate with emotion. Those that are drawn to her work sometimes pay her the simple, but compelling compliment that they "really like looking at her paintings" – which is indeed a reaction that Ms. Steinhauser tries to elicit. At times those that observe her art are transfixed by the emotion conveyed, and find themselves in deep repose–other times the occasional glance will bubble up a simple joy and a subtle smile will appear. 

“I am filled with a profound sense of purpose and joy to think that my art brings happiness and contemplation to those that have acquired some of my favorite canvases. To think that by using my eye, my sense of color, and toiling away on a painting, that I can make something beautiful happen is tremendously rewarding and gratifying.”

Melissa Steinhauser lives in Westport, Connecticut and enjoys spending time on the water from Westport to coastal Maine. She received a BA in journalism from New York University.