Melissa Gile is a self-taught artist and designer working out of her home studio in Hamburg, Germany. A Pacific Northwest native, Gile has resided in Europe since 2014 and has a background in engineering and business.
Fascinated by her mental health journey over the years, her works explore how a sensory-friendly environment can lead to an enhanced perception of beauty in the world around us. Her works bring together a wide range of skills reflective of her background as both an artist and engineer – painting, paper sculpting, woodwork, electronics and textiles.
Her paintings have been internationally exhibited throughout Germany and the United States including Paradigm Gallery in Philadelphia, ArtMUC in Munich, INCorporating Art Fair in Hamburg, and Superfine Art Fair in Seattle. Her work has also been featured in a series of international publications such as Create! Magazine, Visionary Art Collective, Women United Art Magazine, The Curator’s Salon, and CandyFloss Magazine.
Gile’s work is available for purchase on her online gallery, as well as at PxP Contemporary.
Artist Statement
After receiving her ADHD diagnosis in 2023, Gile began learning how to regulate her nervous system using environmental elements of light, sound and touch. She uses her skills as a hypersensitive person, artist and engineer to design art which brings together beauty and safety in sensory-friendly environments – exploring how a calmer mood can enhance our ability to perceive the pleasures of the world around us, like the scent of fresh rain, or a symphony of leaves rattling in the wind.
To create a soothing space for the viewer to relax, Gile leverages indirect light, velvety textiles and a spectrum of greens. Hand-carved organic structures glow against the wall with flowers blooming from their curves. Paper flowers like the Stargazer Lily symbolize abundance and the courage to pursue our dreams. While by day this culminates in a joyful, vibrant aesthetic – it transforms a space into one of wonder and enchantment by night.
A collage of different materials, techniques and shapes, Gile’s artworks are a reflection of what her authentic self looks like – unmasked and darling to live freely as many parts, and at the same time a whole person.
She hopes to inspire the viewer to pause and get lost in the enchantment of life, momentarily escaping into a dream of their own.