I paint quiet moments and places. Collectively, they are my response to my need for silence and reflection in a contemporary culture that is often excessive and loud. The act of painting reminds me to tread softly through life and observe fleeting experiences. When I do, they are ordinary moments that become transformed to significance. They become respites in a complex society.

Melissa Bryant was born in the Philippines. She emigrated with her family to Vancouver, British Columbia, when she was nine years old. Since making the United States her home, she has lived in different parts of the country. Melissa received a Bachelor of Arts from University of Maryland in Government and Politics/International Studies with a minor in Asian Studies. She subsequently received a second degree, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania with a concentration in painting. She completed a Masters of Fine Arts program at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.