My Parents on Their Farm by Melissa Chen

Melissa Chen

Home: Coquitlam, BC
Title: My Parents on Their Farm
Media: Oil on linen
Dimensions: 76 x 117 cm
Website: melissachen.ca/

Artist Statement

A portrait of the artists’ parents, Christine and Peter Chen, at their seaside farm on Vancouver Island, holding homegrown red currants and gooseberries. Her parents are enamored with growing organic fruits and vegetables and aspire to become more self-sufficient by growing as much of their own produce as possible. They have planted and maintain hundreds of fruit trees and bushes as well as a large variety of vegetables. This double portrait is a depiction of their love for gardening, good food and each other.

Biography

Melissa Chen is a Canadian painter, filmmaker and designer. She immigrated to British Columbia, Canada at the age of two. She attended the Royal College of Art in London, England for a Master of Arts in Painting. She previously studied fine art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) where she learned painting, drawing, filmmaking, printmaking, shoe design, foundry and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. She is a recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant.

Curriculum Vitae (CV):
Painter and Filmmaker

EDUCATION
2016 – 2018 The Royal College of Art, London, UK. MA in Painting
2010 – 2014 School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL, USA Bachelor of Fine Arts
2018 Acting Short Course, UAL Central Saint Martins

ART EXHIBITIONS
2018 Creatures, Tri-City Community College. August 1 – 12. Coquitlam, B.C. Canada
2018 Graduate Show, Sackler Building, Royal College of Art. June 23 – July 1. London, UK.
2018 Thumbnails, Hockney Gallery, Royal College of Art. Feb 21 to 23. London, UK.
2017 Look, MC Art Studio. July 28 – Aug 9. Coquitlam, B.C. Canada
2017 WIP Show, Sackler Building, Royal College of Art. Jan 20 to 22. London, UK.
2016 Water, MC Art Studio. April 4 – 22. Coquitlam, B.C. Canada
2015 Batty Prints, Hanlin Academy. March 2 – 31. Vancouver, Canada
2014 Spring Undergraduate Exhibition, Sullivan Galleries,
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Mar 15 – Apr 2. IL. USA.
2011 Fartbash, Columbus Building, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL. USA.
2010 Emerging Talent, Evergreen Cultural Centre, Jan 22 – Mar 13. Coquitlam, B.C. Canada
2010 Coquitlam Centre Art Show, May 26 to 31. Coquitlam, B.C. Canada

AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
2017 The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant
2017 Canada Shorts Film Festival, Award of Excellence for Daughter for Daughter