Sun rays by Melina Cossío in Toronto

SHORT BIO   My interest and skills in oil painting and Arts originated in Mexico, where I was born, raised, and inspired.  Later, I lived in Finland, where I studied fine arts and gained a specialization in abstract and contemporary stained glass.  During this time, I worked on mosaic mural installations using ceramic and Murano glass and participated in an environmental art project. Then, I moved to Chile, where I continued my studies to refine my oil painting, pastel and carbon drawing skills. I am currently a Canadian citizen living in Mississauga, Ontario, focusing on showcasing my artwork at different venues and doing commissions for landscape and oil portrait paintings. My artwork is not 100% realistic, I’m an Artist who works meticulously, but I like to leave some texture or brush strokes unfinished on purpose. I am impressed by nature and man's creations, so to understand our surroundings, I enjoy taking pictures, usually on my road trips. I like to use the ones that move me and motivate my curiosity to create my version of it through my pieces. I focus on capturing my emotions using vibrant colours but most especially blue tones. I like to make my works contain a bit of nostalgia. Life is complicated and sometimes hard. I face life with a positive attitude; that's why I try to project on my work emotions such as calm, joy and nostalgia. So, When I do portrait paintings from a picture, I like to connect with the character through his eyes and body language to capture the person's essence with a bit of his story given by the client. This is my way of connecting with people.o