Lara Mellon

I live in the mist-draped, magical Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, with my husband Patrick.

My practice shifts between the traditional medium of oil on canvas and explorations in mixed media, collage, and assemblage.

At the heart of my work lies an inquiry into Transcendence and, more broadly, into Transition—the passage through or beyond a context, whether emotional or physical. Many of my pieces are layered mixed-media works where oil painting intertwines with found objects, often suspended in resin. These fragments—what I like to call “treasures”—take on new and enchanted forms. A broken butterfly wing, for example, affixed to the silhouette of a figure, becomes both a gesture of flight and a metaphor for transformation.

I am fascinated by time and dimension, and the possibility of existence beyond them. Roman numerals—X, V, i, ii, iii—recur in my work, hinting at the enigmatic cycles of these forces.

The figure emerges as the universal pilgrim, always journeying, always seeking. This pilgrimage unfolds in many rhythms: sometimes I move steadily forward, other times with a rush of momentum, alive with energy and delight. There are moments of grappling, crawling, searching. And, occasionally, moments when I feel lift...

NHDip

2024 – Finding Home – Solo Exhibition - & Kin @ The Old Mushroom Farm, KwaZulu-Natal

2024 – Art Bellville – Member’s Exhibition

2023 - THE lifestyle Gallery, Ballito, RSA - VIBRATIONS

2022 - The Strachan Studio at Woza Moya, Hillcrest, RSA - Reflections

2021 - Top Ten Finalist in The Tillman Bouchard Finlayson Art Awards, Hermanus, RSA

2020 - A Savara Initiative, Cape Town, RSA
2020 - Solomon Fine Arts Gallery, Dublin/The Lavit Gallery, Ireland - The Incognito Initiative

2019 - Art In The Yard, Franschhoek, RSAa - Sojourns
2019 - Solomon Fine Arts Gallery, Dublin/The Lavit Gallery, Ireland - The Incognito Initiative

2018 - Long Street Art Lovers 1932, Longstreet Pretoria - Miniatures
2018 - Art in The Yard, Franschhoek - Still, Taken Beyond
2018 - KZNSA, Durban RSA - Member's Exhibition - Disrupt - 2nd Runner Up

2017 - Trailing the Trappists, Mariannhill Monastery, Kzn RSA - Group Exhibition
2017 - Art In The Yard, Franschhoek - Taken Beyond
2017 - KZNSA, Durban RSA - Member's Exhibition - Character

2016 - KZNSA, Durban RSA - Buzzart Exhibition
2016 - The Breathing Space - Transitions
2016 - The Loading Bay Gallery - Still, Through Forests
2016 - The Loading Bay Gallery - Through Forests
2016 - The Loading Bay Gall...