Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa DeCarlo.
Hi Melissa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was that little kid with glasses and tangled hair who always had her nose in a book or a pencil in her hand. I loved reading, drawing, and writing stories (and terrible poetry). But as I got older, it became clear that it was time to be practical like all the adults around me. So, I ended up with a computer science degree and a job as a programmer. I married a great guy, we had three kids, and we moved from Oklahoma City to Tyler, TX, in 1991. It was here in Texas, once my kids were all in school, that my interest in the arts began to reemerge. I took some art classes and joined a writer’s group. I shifted back and forth between creative writing (essays and short stories) and making visual art (sculpting and painting) for many years; however, in 2010, I decided to stop working on visual art and focus solely on writing.
In 2015, my novel, THE ART OF CRASH LANDING, was published by HarperCollins. Seeing my book on the shelf at my local bookstore was a dream come true, and I’m so glad I experienced the whole wild ride. I had planned to continue to write, but sometimes things don’t go according to plan. I am now painting again and loving every minute of it, so perhaps everything worked out for the best after all.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’m never sure how to answer this sort of question. Looking back, it seems like the road was reasonably smooth, but I don’t remember it feeling that way at the time. My three kids are all wonderful adults now, but those years with teenagers in the house were anything but smooth. Also, the post-publication transition from author to artist was challenging. There were a lot of expectations (from myself and others) that I would write another book, but as wonderful as the whole writing-selling-publication journey was, I could never seem to find my writing smile again. I tried to get back into a productive writing practice for several miserable years before finally admitting that the joy of writing was gone—at least for now.
So, I pulled my art supplies out of the closet and started painting again, and I’ve been having a wonderful time. A paintbrush in my hand feels like coming home.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an oil painter specializing in portraits and figurative art. My lifelong love of books created a fascination with stories—the ones that people tell each other and the ones they tell themselves. Now that I’m no longer telling characters’ stories with words, I would like to learn to really see people and reflect something of who they are in a painting. No two faces are the same, yet we each have an inner galaxy of loves and losses that have shaped our lives. Maybe if we could learn to recognize and respect that in the people we meet, we’d work harder to give each other a little more grace.
I still have so much to learn about painting, art, and life in general, and that’s exactly where I want to be. I hope I never stop learning.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I’m old enough that if I start listing everyone who deserves credit for the good things in my life, we’d all be old before I finished. So, I’ll limit myself to the visual arts sector. And while I’m listing caveats, remember I’m making this list pretty fast, so I’m sure I’m leaving people out. If that’s you, I apologize…and please know that I’ve probably realized that I forgot to list you and lost a night’s sleep over it. (I hope that helps.)
In Dallas, I’ve taken some terrific art classes at the Creative Arts Center of Dallas (https://www.
Here in Tyler, Derrick White (http://www.canvashead.net), the Department Chair at Tyler Junior College, is an excellent teacher and friend who’s been very supportive of my return to making art. Several Tyler artists have been very supportive and have welcomed me (back) into the local art scene, including Dace Kidd (https://dacekidd.com), Ingrid Horner (https://www.instagram.com/
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.melissadecarlo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissadecarlo_art/
