About Melissa Montiel

Melissa Montiel is a Philadelphia artist and gallerist working in a variety of mediums including oils, watercolor and mixed media. In 2002 Montiel studied draftsmanship at the Barnstone Studios in Coplay, PA. In 2007, she received a Certificate in Printmaking at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and BFA from the University of Pennsylvania. She and her husband own a successful tattoo studio and art gallery in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia.

Her work is an exploration of the human condition through the use of found images. She seeks out figures in disarming and uncomfortable positions to focus on the awkwardness and vulnerability of the individual. Melissa finds that although these expressions are unique to the stranger in the photograph, there are basic emotions that unite all people, throughout generations.