Melissa Lopez-Leach

bio

 

I spent my early childhood in the Bronx during hip hops formative years of development; exposed to the ground breaking movement via music and graffiti, both elements shaping my life.  Living in the grime of the Bronx I sought refuge in after school programs and TV programs such as PBS that instilled a need of exploration inside and outside of my neighborhood.  Ultimately leading to a curiosity to write and paint.  

 

Visual art was always around via graffiti that was consuming the Bronx and NYC streets of the 80's to early 90's.  This movement enticed me to explore art on an intimate scale, writing stories and offering illustrations for every page.  Also artists like Basquiat spoke to the core of my soul, asking "Why?" “What now?" and "What of it?" among many other unanswered questions that didn’t need answers to be understood.  I walked through the living museum of NYC on a daily basis.

 

Along side the visual aesthetic music became a refuge, a known comfort and a line to the “outside” world, another vehicle to escape and find creativity.  R&B, hip-hop, Latin, soul and jazz were and are all consuming sounds that create the pulse to which I find joy. 

 

Through these elements, sight and sound, I am driven to create.  I am constantly exploring new ways to transform my line drawings whether by hand or via digital manipulation.  Every piece being very much its own, no two can or will ever be the same.