Water & Warmth
January 2026 | Notes From The Studio | Issue 29
Over the past year, I’ve been paying closer attention to what steadies me.
Some of that has happened near the sea. I walk at the beach near my home most weeks, often over the same stretch of rocks, watching the waves move in and ease back out again.
At some point last fall, I remember having a very clear thought: I want my paintings to feel like this.
When I returned to the studio, I began Wayfinder. Around the same time, I was working on a smaller piece with warmth and weathered texture that reminded me of driftwood washed up along the shore. That painting would later become Inner Compass, though it wasn’t named yet.
Later, while traveling in Greece and spending time by the sea there, the phrase Inner Compass surfaced. It became a way to describe how I wanted to move forward, both in my work and my life. Not by comparison or expectation, but by paying attention to what feels internally aligned.
Those experiences shaped a new body of work I’m sharing today, Water & Warmth. The paintings in this collection move through ideas of orientation and return. Wayfinder and Inner Compass sit at the center, with the surrounding works reflecting moments of recognition, connection, and depth. Standing at the edge of the water. Feeling at home without trying. Allowing something to be meaningful.
Water & Warmth isn’t about escape or resolution. It’s about staying connected to yourself.
The collection includes five works.
You can view the full collection and learn more about the individual pieces in my gallery. Thank you for being here and for spending time with the work.
— Melanie
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