Artist Melanie Kirkpatrick sticks to what she loves, and she tends to paint what she loves.
"I just love nature and animals," Durango resident Kirkpatrick said.
Kirkpatrick will open her first show in Mancos this weekend at Olio. A reception will be held Saturday, Jan. 10 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Olio for Kirkpatrick and local potters Nick Blaisdell of Dalton Ranch Pottery and Janet Lever-Woods of Blue Heron Pottery.
For 15 years, Kirkpatrick was a patina artist in Santa Fe.
"Most people don't know what that is," she said. "I would take bronze sculptures from other people and apply different chemicals and heat up those chemicals to create different finishes."
It was an art form that Kirkpatrick said she eventually figured was too toxic.
"I love art, so I started to paint again," she said.
Kirkpatrick moved to Durango four years ago and has been painting ever since.
Melanie was born in Colorado but lived on the East Coast for much of her childhood. Her mother enrolled her in adult art classes, and she attended the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in graphic design.
Currently, Kirkpatrick has devoted herself to acrylic painting and has shown her artwork in regional galleries.
She also paints pet portraits, and donates 20 percent of the proceeds to her client's charity of choice, she said.
About 20 paintings by Kirkpatrick will be on display at the show, which runs through March 7.
