
Melissa Winters Spotlight
Melissa Winters
Written by Nor Osborne, June 2025
“What I'm always telling people is that, believe it or not, they're an artist too,” Melissa Winters, a mixed media Granville artist says, her face painted with an enthusiastic smile. “They just have to let it out, let it be free.”
As she speaks, Melissa gently traces one of her newest creations, a necklace that resembles the Kraken- a large resin charm engulfed with clay tentacles and pearls.
“Sometimes people think, ‘Oh, I would never be able to do that,’ but you can, you just have to let it out. I think we all have that creativity, that artist inside of us, we just push it down.”
Melissa first discovered her inner artist under the guidance of her grandmothers who taught her the possibility of artistic creation at a young age.
“Both lived through the depression, they were always making something out of nothing,” Melissa says. “That’s how I ultimately ended up being a person in the arts because of all the support and encouragement that they gave me.”
Melissa went on to study Human Ecology at Otterbein University, where she had the opportunity to hone in on her sewing skills. After graduating, Melissa stepped away from art, taking on a job as a veterinary sales representative as she built a family. She wasn’t able to stay away for long, though, and began creating again once she had the time to. In her return, Melissa began to focus on mixed media rather than just sewing.
“I like utilizing mixed media because it doesn't narrow you down to just one. You're not just a painter and you're not just a sculptor. You can do and draw from wherever you want to,” says Melissa.
While carefully designing her mixed media jewelry, Melissa always opts to go bigger and bolder. She integrates a wide variety of color, texture, materials, and techniques into each creation. Melissa frequently works with embroidery, clay, and resin - utilizing each medium in a new and exciting way as she works. Inspired by the “waste-not-want-not” mindset of her grandmothers, she often incorporates an eclectic array of objects into her art. From vintage rhinestones to rusted nuts and bolts, it doesn’t matter- she will create with it all.
”I really like to not be like everyone else,” Melissa says. “My main goal is to create a piece you’re not going to see on everybody walking down the street.”
In line with her love of the big and bold, Melissa draws inspiration from Prince, a man she considers to be a “creative genius with style oozing out of his pores.” She pays homage to her love for Prince every day, selling her work under the brand name of ‘Purple Art Love’. Melissa has had this work featured in multiple magazines and shown at a plethora of shows and venues, including ‘Art at 43023’ and ‘Canal Market District’.
Melissa hopes that in spite of the current state of the world, people will continue to engage with art.
“I think that, because we're in a landscape that's ever changing right now, because people are concerned about the world at large, they're not thinking, ‘Hey, I want to go out and buy art or jewelry’. That's something that artists like myself are going to have to learn to navigate,” she says.
“Art is something that we need, but we don't often recognize that we need it. I think that’s part of the reason why the arts are so important, because we need to remind people that art is important.”
“It's important to go to the grocery and it's important to change your oil in your car, but that's not the exciting or fulfilling part. It's important to remind people that you can have a good time and express yourself and see how others express themselves. You don't have to love it to appreciate it.”