Mellissa Kieser

As a child, Mellissa wandered the Southwestern deserts near her home catching blue-tailed lizards and horned toads, gathering wildflowers in the spring, and always marveling at the colors of the sunset. "I took it for granted," she says. "For me the desert was a constant, I didn't stop to consider how special it was." When her children began exploring the area near her Tucson home, Mellissa got reacquainted with the magic of the unique place and was inspired to share it with others through her artwork. "A lot of people don't really *see* the desert," she explains. "When you've lived your whole life in it, you have the ability to get a real insider perspective. I see the colors, the life, the history, and I like being able to highlight that for others, to help them see what I see in a landscape that is so alive and vibrant."