Adding a Little Sparkle, One Rhinestone at a Time
Everyone knows someone whose simple presence brightens a room; whose smile somehow eases your mind; whose positivity you might even be a little envious of–someone who adds a little sparkle to everything they touch. At EarlystART, that person is our Operations Manager, Melanie Bolden.
As the Operations Manager, Melanie is responsible for supervising front desk staff, managing daily receivables, ensuring EarlystART meets safety and environmental standards, and a variety of other duties that play a crucial role in the day-to-day functioning of EarlystART. As you’d expect, she is detail-oriented, logical, thorough, and tenacious. What might be surprising to learn about Melanie is that she is also an incredibly talented artist.
Melanie’s passion for art started at a young age when she spent days drawing Looney Tunes characters with her dad. In the years since, she’s gained experience working on collaborative murals, handmade beaded jewelry, canvas paintings, mosaic tile work, graphic t-shirts, and custom benchwork paintings; including one commissioned by the well-known author, Toni Morrison.
Melanie’s medium of choice is acrylic paint on stretched canvas, which she embellishes with a collection of rhinestones hidden throughout the paintings to add a little sparkle, and really bring them to life. You can view Melanie’s work on her website, or visit the 80 Santa Fe Art Gallery to see Melanie’s work featured in their recent Color Pops show.
For Melanie, art is a therapeutic way to escape reality and dive into a peaceful state of mind. “My vision is that my works will inspire others to embody wholesomeness and awareness,” says Melanie. “My mission is to challenge imaginations so that people discover meaningful connections within themselves and the world around them.”
Similar to EarlystART’s emphasis on art in early education for creative expression and problem-solving, Melanie uses art as a form of self-care – a way to better understand and express herself and to relate to the world.
Melanie’s lifelong love of art continues to influence her professional work. Years of drawing Looney Tunes with her dad taught her patience, attention to detail, and diligence needed in her role at EarlystART. Experimenting with new mediums and immersing in new cultures has bolstered her confidence and strengthened her collaborations with outside vendors and colleagues..
One of EarlystART’s core beliefs is that integrating art into life can lead to tangible benefits, and Melanie Bolden is doing just that as she uses art to achieve peace, practice empathy, and add a little sparkle to the world around her!
