Kathy Ebbinghaus Melanson has been drawing and painting ever since she could hold a pencil. It was a passion that she pursued into post-secondary education, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Windsor.

The artistic path over the years has been many and varied; including painting, drawing, printmaking, teaching, murals and theatre set design. She has won several awards for her work. A lover of nature and the outdoors, her work is fueled by her interest in the natural world and the many layered history of the land, a term she coined 'land-based abstracts'. Her process involves deconstructing the layers and reassembling them in a new way using acrylic paint, china markers, pencils and collage.

Considerations of proportion and negative space are as important as line, value and colour. There has to be a balance between the active areas of the composition and the more spacious areas that allow for rest. Precise placement of the large and small elements of the painting are of prime importance.

An active member of the local art scene for at least three decades, she lives in Alliston, Ontario, Canada.

Instagram: @blueplanetartist