Norterra

Melissa McKinney | Assilem Designs Artwork

Hi! I’m Melissa, the artist behind Assilem Designs Artwork. Originally from Missouri by way of Texas, Arizona has been home for nearly two decades- and somewhere along the way, the desert became part of my story.

My art is big, bright, bold, and rarely interested in being quiet. I’m drawn to vivid color, oversized canvases, graffiti-inspired backgrounds, florals, abstract elements, and unexpected subjects that give me an excuse to make a beautiful mess. Creating has always been a place where I can turn down the noise in my head and turn up the color.

A lot has changed since I first displayed my work at Pita Jungle. Today, I’m a therapist, Licensed Associate Addiction Counselor, doctoral student studying leadership, and published author of Lessons Learned and Real Talk & Recovery. My professional life centers around mental health, recovery, growth, and helping people recognize that where they have been does not have to determine where they are going.

Art remains the other side of that same story.

I believe creativity gives us somewhere to put the things that are difficult to explain with words. For me, painting isn’t about making everything neat or perfect. It’s about freedom, expression, movement, color, and allowing something unexpected to emerge from all the layers.

These pieces represent a version of me that has grown, changed, taken some risks, survived some things, accomplished some things, and learned to take up a little more space.

Apparently, my canvases got the memo too.

Thank you for stopping to look. I hope something here makes you feel something–or at the very least, makes your day a little more colorful.

Melissa McKinney
Assilem Design
Instagram: @assilemdesign
Emails: [email protected]