Under These Stars With You

Born in the small mountain town of Idyllwild, California, Lakey spent much of her youth drawing, painting, and enjoying nature. However, like many of us, life unfolded, and her connection to visual art began to drift away. Moving to the Mojave Desert a decade ago allowed for an artistic reawakening. She left realism behind to embrace colors and subjects that prompted joy, and the spark returned. Lakey’s work is not only an homage to her desert home, but a return to the dreams of her childhood self. The child who wanted to be a cowgirl became an artist. As such, her paintings put a spotlight on an idealized version of the American West. Cowboys ride under starry skies, and there is always time to stop and pick flowers or swim in every creek passed. These colorful paintings explore the magic of night, nature, and music, springing from both actual memory and the imagination. They are places where the soul can be at peace.

Lakey employs a broad approach to creation; she works with a variety of mediums, including gouache, ink, acrylic, oil, pastel, and colored pencils; she even dabbles in fiber art. This mixed media approach not only provides a compelling range of textures but also lends itself to the freedom with which she conducts her practice. A painting surprises you when it isn’t carefully planned. According to Lakey: “Making art this way feels like exploring a world made of dreams, filled with characters I’d like to meet from folktales that never existed.”

Now based in Joshua Tree, California, Melissa Lakey’s career has taken flight. Recent solo exhibitions include “A Home in the Sun” at Hey There Projects in Joshua Tree, and “The Tumbling Tumbleweed Road Show” at Webb Gallery in Waxahachie, Texas. Her past clients include the LA Times, Compendium, and Schoolhouse. These accolades are an inspiration to everyone whose life wanders away from creation and prove that receiving a formalized art education isn’t a requirement to becoming a professional artist.

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