Artist
Mel Watkin





My recent map-based visual biographies are over-painted on actual maps of the United States and other international locations through a collaborative process. After a number of conversations with an individual, couple or organization I over paint and sometimes collage maps together to create a visual biography of their family, personal or organizational history.
The Scottish ancestors of this couple became Mid-western railroad developers in the 1800s. After merging maps of Scotland and the United States I over-painted the roads, highways and rivers with the symbolic colors of DNA. The cloud-like image combines a modernist railroad icon from the early 1900s with the airborne seeds of a thistle –the national symbol of Scotland.
Size range for Not Just Another Pretty Face commissions: As you will see in my images, my works is very detailed and labor intensive. The price range is $1500 to $3000. There is no average size but my smallest visual biography was 18 ¾” x 25 ¾” and the largest 18” x 40 ¾.“ As you will see on my website I do create very large-scale works. Please contact me if you are interested in a larger work.