This BHAM Painter’s Work Is All Over the South

Melanie Morris has loved art for as long as she can remember. “My mom was a kindergarten teacher, and she had me out in the backyard drawing a tree instead of using a coloring book,” Melanie recalls. But she never thought she could turn art into a career. After various career paths, she now works full-time as an artist, creating bright, bold landscapes and floral portraits for businesses and homes. You’ll even find five of her pieces inside The Valley Hotel in Homewood. We’re excited to introduce our newest FACE of Birmingham!

What inspired you to start teaching art?

I’m the fifth-generation female in my family to finish college, and everyone before me had been a teacher. I would always do these jobs, and they were fine, but I was never really 100 percent with them. And so, I went to see a career counselor, and she said, “Everyone in your family is a teacher; how come you’re not teaching?”

I thought more about that and started teaching in-person workshops about 15 years ago. I found that it was something I really enjoyed. I loved making people feel at home when they came in because they were usually really freaked out and scared, and I loved seeing what they did by the end of the class.

In 2020, I was still working part-time in medical education but got laid off due to COVID. I’d always talked about creating an online course, and being laid off pushed me into it. I put it out on social media, “Hey, I’m creating this course, and it’s going to launch …” I had never created a course before; I had no idea. I literally worked seven days a week, 12-hour days, but I got it out there. It did well, and I had the best time doing it!

I’ve ended up having people from all over the world take the course, and that’s been really interesting. There’s a woman in Finland who just took my landscape painting course. It made the world a lot smaller for me.

SB Note: Enrollment for her online course, Fearless Florals, opens on April 18.

What advice would you give someone who wants to try art but is intimidated by it?

First, I would tell them to reach out and start. Just take one class, and when you go into that class, don’t worry about what your neighbor next to you thinks about your painting. They are freaked out about what you’re thinking about their painting, too! The other thing I always share in my courses is when you look at your work, actually say out loud what you like about it; pretend you’re looking at somebody else’s painting. In my workshops, I saw that people were so much kinder to their neighbors and what they would say about their neighbors’ paintings. And then they would be so hard on their own painting.

[You should also] realize that if you see something on social media, no one’s showing you the terrible, ugly, messy stage. I’ve never had a great painting that didn’t go through the ugly stage. So, you have to talk yourself through it.

What prompted you to use such bold and vibrant colors in your artwork?

There’s enough “dreary” in the world, so I like happy. And color is something that makes me happy. That’s what brings me to a scene. I paint a lot of landscapes and florals, and often, it’s the color that will draw me in. I almost always paint from my own photographs, and that’s what I end up photographing. It’s probably the combination of colors — maybe a pink sky behind a greenish tree. With florals, it’s a beautiful bouquet with all different colors. That’s how I decide what I’ll paint.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to pursue their passion as you did with art?

My first piece of advice is, don’t quit your job. I think that puts on way too much pressure. But if you have a creative career, you may want to see if you can find one that’s not as creative. Sometimes, if you’re doing a really creative job, it’s hard to be creative outside of it. If you’re doing a job that’s taking all your time and energy, see if there’s a different job that doesn’t zap all your energy. Start with a plan and slowly take it step by step. Do it on the weekends or at night, and set deadlines for yourself. It’s easy to say, “I don’t have enough time to do it,” but if you have a deadline, you suddenly organize your time better.

What are some of your favorite places in the Birmingham area?

I love Homewood; I can just spend a day in Homewood! I love all the restaurants and shopping. I like its small-town feel.

I love At Home because I know there’s always something new or interesting when I go in there. I like Holland & Birch; they have really pretty jewelry. I like Three Sheets. We love to eat at Johnny’s, and I love Demetri’s. I think they have the best tea in Birmingham.

I like The Pita Stop – I love their salmon — and I like The Fish Market downtown. And I like Pepper Place. I like to go to the Saturday morning market because I love the flowers. Often, I’ll go there, pick up flowers, bring them back to the studio, and paint. And I love the food at Bettola. It’s beyond great!

What have you been reading lately?

I just finished Spare by Prince Harry and liked it more than I anticipated. It transported me to another world, and I learned some new British sayings along the way. A great beach read I enjoyed is The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave.

What’s your best life advice?

Pray first. I actually have a bracelet just to remind myself to pray first because I feel that’s the absolute best way to do anything. I pray first, and then I try to put my feet to my prayers — move forward doing what I feel God wants me to do.

The other thing is that I tend to be a perfectionist. A friend told me, “Instead of trying for an A+, why don’t you go for a B-?” Perfectionism is almost an excuse not to do [something]. It’s never going to be perfect.

Name three things you can’t live without outside of faith, family, friends, and art.

Iced tea, fun earrings, and a good book.

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