Artist Statement

Melissa Speed is a pastelist who works exclusively with soft pastels. Her speciality lies in portraiture, occasionally venturing into creating other pieces such as seascapes. She aims for the portraits to narrate compelling stories about the sitters and captivate the viewer, allowing them to traverse time, space, and social barriers through art, bringing them into the sitter’s world. Melissa believes that through art people can understand the unspoken and revel in the extraordinary.

Her sitters include local residents and members of the public, as well as people well-known in their fields such as John Tams and Fleur East. The British coast also features heavily in her work.

Longlisted for several art awards during 2023, she also participated in the tenth series of Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year. Judges praised her storytelling through visual art. Art Historian Kate Bryan exclaimed "I love Melissa's pastels," and award-winning artist Tai Shan Schierenberg described her as a "great colourist."