ARTIST SPOTLIGHT - Melanie Vugich

Growing up in the outback in Broken Hill gave me a love of nature and wide-open skies. I started drawing as a child and knew from an early age that I wanted to be an artist. I started painting in high school and have never stopped.

After leaving home and living first in Adelaide briefly and then Sydney for two years I travelled to Europe. On my first ever visit to Italy, I immediately fell in love with Florence knew it was where I wanted to live. It became my home for the next 25 years.

It was in Florence that I had the fortune of meeting Susan Nevelson, a textile designer for an Italian fashion house, Ken Scott. Susan was 40 years my senior and introduced me to the world of fabric design and the vast community of artists in Florence. Susan taught me a lot about Art and was one of my dearest friends.

I went on to develop my skills as a fabric designer and designed for some of Italy’s biggest fashion names.

I travelled around Europe often during these years and found inspiration in each new place I visited. And Italy, being what it is you’re surrounded by beauty and art. My years in Italy has definitely influenced my style and palette.

The first artist I really fell in love with was Matisse. I love all his colours and subjects. He is still my favourite but I love so many and am continuously inspired by them.

I now reside in the beautiful Sydney suburb of Bronte with my Italian partner and our son, where I regularly walk along the dramatic clifftops, swim in the ocean all year round and spend every spare minute at my easel. We travel often back to Italy and visit other countries on our way. 

 I work with Fenton and Fenton in Melbourne and have two exhibitions lined up later this year. Instagram has been an incredible platform for sharing my work.

Despite living in such vastly different environments, my goal as a painter has always been the same, to capture the wild beauty of nature and share my passion for colour and composition.