About Melissa Gibson

I love junk - the kind people toss out on the curb and the emotional garbage that turns people into artists.  Using found items and taking "old lady" crafts and turning them into current and attractive art are some of my favorite things.  I enjoy working with wood, paints, threads, markers, and that end table you just threw out.

Resume:

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Editor, "Fleur de Lit: Literary Magazine," 2017 to Present

-Created independent literary magazine feaurting literary and visual art from Northwest Louisiana creatives.

-Solicited and edited submissions.

-Designed and printed magazine.

-Marketed and distributed to stores, libraries, and individuals.

Artist, 2014 to Present

-Designed several series of original illustrations, including "Mardi Cats," "Mardi Dogs," and "Block Birds."  Illustrations sold as prints and greeting cards.

-Created original design featured on the Unitarian Universalist Association's WorshipWeb, a resource for Unitarian Universalist congregations.  Customized variations are in use at more than two dozen churches worldwide.

-Repaired and refinished dozens of wood furniture pieces.

-Sold art at the Meadows Museum Holiday Marketplace, Shreveport Downtown Artwalk, Small Business Saturday at The Agora Borealis, Highland Open Studio Tour Sundays, and more.

-Artwork currently hangs at Pure Color Salon, Hope Medical Group for Women, and private homes.

EXHIBITIONS

Contained, Bossier Arts Council, November 2018

Micro/Macro: Under the Microscope, Into the Cosmos, The Agora Borealis, April 2018

Critical Mass 6, Shreveport Regional Arts Council, March 2018

Human Beings and Being Human: A Self Portraiture Show, Bossier Arts Council, October 2017

Critical Mass 5, Shreveport Regional Arts Council, April 2017

Artist Sunday, All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, July 2016

WorshipWeb, Unitarian Universalist Association, June 2016

Uncensored Louisiana, Works in Progress Louisiana, March 2016

Critical Mass 4, Shreveport Regional Arts Council, March 2016