Paintings by Melissa Mailer Yates

Melissa Mailer-Yates is a highly accomplished contemporary artist from the UK, renowned for her dynamic and expressive style.

Here are the key points about her paintings:

Art Style and Technique

• Combination of Abstract and Representational: Her signature style involves centering a painting on a representational subject (like a person or animal) and then surrounding or interweaving it with bold, abstract movements and bursts of color. She aims to convey a sense of kinetic energy and movement.

• Focus on Emotion and Energy: She often uses abstract elements—such as color, lines, and light—as an "extrapolation of the emotions contained within the work," emphasizing the subject's innate beauty and life.

• Medium: She primarily works with acrylic paint, often stretching her own canvas and treating the acrylic almost like oil paint by thinning it to build up subsequent layers and tones.

Key Subject Matter

Her work is broadly divided into a few key areas:

1. Figurative and Female Form: She is widely acknowledged as a portrait and figurative painter, often focusing on the power and beauty of femininity in her striking works, including her well-known Secret Place Collection of nudes and figures.

2. Equestrian Art: She has received prestigious awards for her superb equestrian paintings and is an Associate Member of the Society of Equestrian Artists.

3. Celebrity Portraiture: She has painted portraits of many notable figures, including:

   • Royalty (e.g., commissions for Her Majesty The Queen and the Saudi Arabian Royal Family).

   • Musicians (e.g., Paul Weller, Toyah Wilcox, Rick Wakeman, Nick Mason of Pink Floyd, and members of Ocean Colour Scene).

Her original paintings are sited in homes and public venues globally, from royal palaces and celebrity homes to medical facilities. You can typically find her work, especially limited-edition prints and giclées, for sale on various online art platforms and galleries.

Melissa Mailer-Yates is a highly successful British artist known for her figurative and equestrian paintings. Here are the key aspects of her work:

• Portraiture: She is particularly famous for her portraits, and has even received commissions from royalty, including Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the British and Saudi Arabian royal families. Her portraits are celebrated for their ability to capture the power and beauty of her subjects, often focusing on women.

• Equestrian Art: Mailer-Yates is also a recognized equestrian painter. Her skill in depicting horses has earned her an associate membership in the prestigious Society of Equestrian Artists.

• Style and Technique:

  • She works primarily with acrylic paint, but she treats it with a layering technique that makes her work resemble oil paintings.

  • She has a surprisingly limited palette, often using only five colors in addition to black. This demonstrates a deep understanding of color mixing and tone.

  • Her work is described as sensual and powerful, with a strong focus on the female form.

• Notable Works:

  • Her royal commissions are, of course, among her most famous works.

  • She also has a series of celebrity portraits, including a notable portrait of musician Paul Weller.

  • Her work is sold in galleries internationally and at auction houses, which is a testament to her success and the value of her art.

Given the strong match in the name and the recognition of her as a painter, it's highly probable that Melissa Mailer-Yates is the artist you had in mind.