About the Artist…
Relocating to Alaska in 2005, Melody Lee Gleichman immediately took to capturing the stunning landscape and populous wildlife on her ‘point and shoot’ digital camera.
Shortly after arriving, doctors discovered a serious health condition, and it took two years to recover. During that time, her past time of photography became a rehabilitative therapy for her.
When the doctor finally released her to return to work, she decided that life was too short to not do what she really loved…creating art, using her digital images. So, the grandma of six returned to school.
In 2010, Melody graduated from Kenai Peninsula College (University of Alaska), with a degree in Digital Art.
Melody is A member of the Kenai Peninsula Photographers’ Guild and the Kenai Fine Arts Guild, she has participated in exhibits in her community for the past six years.
In 2009, she was awarded first place in the poster category of a photography competition sponsored by the Tustumena 200 Dogsled Race Committee. The image featured three-time Iditarod champ Lance Mackey. That same year, Melody traveled to Nome to photograph the finish of that year’s Iditarod.
Also in 2009, she was selected to receive an art scholarship from the Kenai Peninsula Fine Arts Guild, and was awarded the Women’s Opportunity Award by the Kenai Peninsula Chapter of the Soroptomists. It was announced at her graduation that she had been named 2009 Lifelong Learner of the Year. Most recently, she was one of 25 recipients chosen by the Soroptomists’ International Headquarters to receive a laptop computer.
The City of Kenai’s 2009 and 2010 recreation guide include a number of Melody’s images. One of her photos, of a male and female eagle tending to their young in a nest, is included in the city’s advertising, most recently printed in the Milepost, and is on display at the Kenai Municipal Airport.
Since graduating, Melody has started a fine art nature photography business, called GraceWorks PhotoArt, based in Anchorage, Alaska. A variety of her artwork can be viewed for purchase on her website at www.graceworksphotoart.com. Her desktop calendars are carried by 15 stores in South Central Alaska.
On a Personal Note…
Taking a longer, closer look at what’s beyond the obvious is what I most like to encourage with my images, such as reflections of tiny ice crystals bouncing off the back of a green leaf, a lush carpet of lichen, light dancing on the intricate pattern of a mallard’s colorful feathers.
Macro photography has recently become a fascination for me. My intent in using this form is to focus in on the details of the unmatched artwork of nature.
Most of my images are captured near my home here on the Kenai Peninsula. While I am the first to take opportunity to travel to other places, I want to stress that we need only to go no further than our backyard to find the beauty of hidden treasures.
Form, color, quality of lines, and most importantly, light, are all elements of art, that are so visibly apparent in the canvas set before us to enjoy.
My desire is to evoke in the viewer a need to pause and look past the subject directly in front of them, realizing that there is so much more to our world around us than can ever be imagined or thought of by man.
Melody Lee
