special feature/part 2 of 2 part interview
Melissa
Mailer-Yates
“that’s what it’s all about!”
Melissa Mailer-Yates has painted works for
both the Queen and the Saudi Royal family;
she has stayed warm in Stately Homes
and frozen in Triumphal Arches; she has
experienced rich pickings and known the
sadness of being taken for a ride but through
it all, her art shines like a beacon of creativity
before a tempestuous sea of sameness!
e ended part one of her story with Melissa staging her fi rst
W
international exhibition in New York, thanks to the eff orts
of her now manager, Lyn Owen.
In the October, prior to the November opening, Lyn
Owen had organised a showing at the British Consulate in New York,
which was also televised, and later in the month, the Los Angeles Consular
General staged a similar event, but this time at his residence. With this kind
of promotion it was no wonder that the New York opening proved such a
success.
It was because of contacts made during the LA event that Melissa became
part of the whole social scene out there and was introduced to the movers
and shakers. She also got involved with the UCLA Medical Art Foundation
and became a spokesperson on behalf of the British Consulate at various
fund raising events for the UCLA Medical programme.
Th e following year she was asked to complete some celebrity portraits and
that ‘little collection’ became the centrepiece for that year’s Los Angeles Art
Show. She was also made an Honorary Member of the Fine Art Dealers of
America who were organising the show. She said: “Th ere can be little doubt
that my style of painting was really working well in the States. I just enjoyed
it there, meeting and painting all sorts of people. I painted people like Betty
Bloomingdale and that was really quite fascinating, the more so because of
the incredible houses that I visited to do the work.”
Not wishing to neglect the UK market totally, Melissa executed quite
a large exhibition at the Collection Restaurant in London. She also got
involved with Nivea and they sponsored her for a while. It was all to do with
the body beautiful and also tied in with their breast cancer charity. Th en it
was back to New York where she exhibited at Art Expo.
“It was only a little stand but we sold quite a number of originals which
was quite unusual and I had some limited edition prints made up, by myself
I might add, although we did do better with the originals,” she added.
It was at this time that Melissa and Lyn met a Californian chap who was
Late: New Canvas
22 picturebusiness
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