Melissa B. Tubbs has been creating
finely-detailed pen-and-ink drawings of architectural subjects for 21
years. Her works document buildings and their ornamentation in order to
preserve them for future generations. She is a firm believer in the proverb
"The wise man preserves that which he values and celebrates that which he
preserves." Form, line, and light have more emphasis in black and white,
perfect for rendering architectural elements. She is interested in conveying
the depth created by the contrast of bright light and cast shadows. The
woodcuts of Albrecht Durer and the wood engravings of Barry Moser have
influenced her pen-and-ink work.
Melissa's father was a pilot in the Air Force and moving every three years exposed her to many interesting places. She has always created art, but it wasn't until her sister asked her to create a pen-and-ink drawing of her father-in-law's house for a Christmas present that she discovered her love of architecture as subject matter. While the pen-and-ink medium is self-taught, Melissa has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Visual Design from Auburn University in Auburn, AL. She has been a full-time artist for 16 years. Her work has been shown throughout the United States and has led to commissions from organizations as well as private commissions.
Ms. Tubbs accomplishments include: “Willow Mount” selected September 2013 for inclusion in Strokes of Genius 6: Value/Lights & Darks by North Light Books; 12 prints of original drawings used as set decoration on Anger Management with Charlie Sheen; two drawings published in Drawing and Sketching Secrets: 200 Tips and Techniques for Drawing the Easy Way, September 2012; NAWA Annual Small Works Exhibition, NAWA Gallery, NYC, 2012; “Drawing Connections,” Siena Art Institute, Siena, Italy, 2011; Butler Institute of American Art 75th National Mid-year Exhibition, Youngstown, OH, 2011; created 2 drawings for Strathmore Artist Papers drawing pad covers, 2011; "Drawing on Alabama 2011" at Auburn University, Auburn, AL; "The Ink Drawings of Melissa B. Tubbs," Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, 2010; "Carnegie Hall, NYC" published in Strokes of Genius 2: The Best of Drawing Light and Shadow by North Light Books in October 2009; "Empire of the Eye: Drawing Methods and Materials of Leonardo da Vinci" lecture given at the Birmingham Museum of Art in conjunction with the exhibition Leonardo da Vinci: Drawings from the Biblioteca Reale in Turin, October 2008; 5th Annual Evening of Arts & Entertainment, October 2008 Los Angeles, CA;"The Fine Art of Drawing" invitational at the Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts, August-September, 2008, two drawings; three drawings selected for inclusion in the Butler Institute of American Art 72nd National Mid-year Exhibition, Youngstown, OH; two drawings accepted in "Lineal Investigations" invitational at Housatonic Museum of Art in Bridgeport, CT, November-December 2007; drawing accepted in the Torpedo Factory Art Center's Target Gallery "Sense of Place" exhibition 2007 in Alexandria, VA; two drawings, one of which won 3rd place, in the 2007 34th Annual National Juried Competition at the Masur Museum of Art; "Twenty Years: The Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts," Alabama State Council for the Arts Exhibition 2006; "Connecting Alabama," six artists, Alabama State Council for the Arts Exhibition 2005; first prize and honorable mention for two drawings in the 2005 Selma Art Guild Juried Summer Exhibition; six drawings selected for inclusion in the Montgomery & River Region Sketchbook, a showcase book published March 2005 by Indigo Publishing, Macon, GA; an article featuring her pen-and-ink drawings in the November 2004 issue of American Artist magazine; a solo show, "Sunlight and Shadow," November 2004-February 2005, Wiregrass Museum of Art, Dothan, AL; "In the Spotlight," October 4th-November 12th, 2004, exhibition at the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA) Gallery, New York City; February 2004, traveled to Acapulco, Mexico to teach elementary school children art and art history; one of three artists exhibited in "An Absence of Color," December 2003-January 2004, at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City; received the NAWA Medal of Honor and the Elizabeth Stanton Blake Memorial Award of $1,000 for Work on Paper in the 2003 Annual Exhibition of NAWA in New York City; represented the state of Alabama in creating a three-dimensional architectural ornament of an historical home for the Official White House Christmas Tree for 2001 (the ornament is now in the White House permanent ornament collection); Public Art Commission for the City of Montgomery mayoral appointee; past president of the Montgomery Art Guild, the past president of the Arts Council of Montgomery and board member of the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts; recipient of the prestigious Eben Demarest Trust Grant, an award from Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh, PA in 1999.
Melissa's father was a pilot in the Air Force and moving every three years exposed her to many interesting places. She has always created art, but it wasn't until her sister asked her to create a pen-and-ink drawing of her father-in-law's house for a Christmas present that she discovered her love of architecture as subject matter. While the pen-and-ink medium is self-taught, Melissa has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Visual Design from Auburn University in Auburn, AL. She has been a full-time artist for 16 years. Her work has been shown throughout the United States and has led to commissions from organizations as well as private commissions.
Ms. Tubbs accomplishments include: “Willow Mount” selected September 2013 for inclusion in Strokes of Genius 6: Value/Lights & Darks by North Light Books; 12 prints of original drawings used as set decoration on Anger Management with Charlie Sheen; two drawings published in Drawing and Sketching Secrets: 200 Tips and Techniques for Drawing the Easy Way, September 2012; NAWA Annual Small Works Exhibition, NAWA Gallery, NYC, 2012; “Drawing Connections,” Siena Art Institute, Siena, Italy, 2011; Butler Institute of American Art 75th National Mid-year Exhibition, Youngstown, OH, 2011; created 2 drawings for Strathmore Artist Papers drawing pad covers, 2011; "Drawing on Alabama 2011" at Auburn University, Auburn, AL; "The Ink Drawings of Melissa B. Tubbs," Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, 2010; "Carnegie Hall, NYC" published in Strokes of Genius 2: The Best of Drawing Light and Shadow by North Light Books in October 2009; "Empire of the Eye: Drawing Methods and Materials of Leonardo da Vinci" lecture given at the Birmingham Museum of Art in conjunction with the exhibition Leonardo da Vinci: Drawings from the Biblioteca Reale in Turin, October 2008; 5th Annual Evening of Arts & Entertainment, October 2008 Los Angeles, CA;"The Fine Art of Drawing" invitational at the Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts, August-September, 2008, two drawings; three drawings selected for inclusion in the Butler Institute of American Art 72nd National Mid-year Exhibition, Youngstown, OH; two drawings accepted in "Lineal Investigations" invitational at Housatonic Museum of Art in Bridgeport, CT, November-December 2007; drawing accepted in the Torpedo Factory Art Center's Target Gallery "Sense of Place" exhibition 2007 in Alexandria, VA; two drawings, one of which won 3rd place, in the 2007 34th Annual National Juried Competition at the Masur Museum of Art; "Twenty Years: The Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts," Alabama State Council for the Arts Exhibition 2006; "Connecting Alabama," six artists, Alabama State Council for the Arts Exhibition 2005; first prize and honorable mention for two drawings in the 2005 Selma Art Guild Juried Summer Exhibition; six drawings selected for inclusion in the Montgomery & River Region Sketchbook, a showcase book published March 2005 by Indigo Publishing, Macon, GA; an article featuring her pen-and-ink drawings in the November 2004 issue of American Artist magazine; a solo show, "Sunlight and Shadow," November 2004-February 2005, Wiregrass Museum of Art, Dothan, AL; "In the Spotlight," October 4th-November 12th, 2004, exhibition at the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA) Gallery, New York City; February 2004, traveled to Acapulco, Mexico to teach elementary school children art and art history; one of three artists exhibited in "An Absence of Color," December 2003-January 2004, at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City; received the NAWA Medal of Honor and the Elizabeth Stanton Blake Memorial Award of $1,000 for Work on Paper in the 2003 Annual Exhibition of NAWA in New York City; represented the state of Alabama in creating a three-dimensional architectural ornament of an historical home for the Official White House Christmas Tree for 2001 (the ornament is now in the White House permanent ornament collection); Public Art Commission for the City of Montgomery mayoral appointee; past president of the Montgomery Art Guild, the past president of the Arts Council of Montgomery and board member of the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts; recipient of the prestigious Eben Demarest Trust Grant, an award from Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh, PA in 1999.
