Melissa Zahradnicek is a fine artist and pattern designer living in Seattle, WA. She has been making art for longer than she can remember doing anything else, except for perhaps, sleeping. Melissa's art career began at the Art Institute of Seattle where she briefly studied Photography, eventually leaving the Art Institute to pursue a balance of both fine art and commercial photography work for the following few years. Ultimately though, it was the paintbrush that kept calling her back, and while running her photography business she began experimenting with abstract painting back in 2007. In 2014 Melissa was introduced to the concept of pattern design and was taken immediately, finally finding a home for all of those geometric patterns and backgrounds she had been creating for years. Melissa is known for her use of dotted overlays and radiating lines, and her work displays a use of interesting color pallets, bold shapes, and clean layering. The conversation and challenges created between elements is very important to her when creating a piece, as is, ultimately, the balance of the entire statement.

When not in the studio, Melissa can be found cooking for her friends, hosting elaborate and strangely themed parties, or perhaps tucked into a dark corner of a local music venue. She enjoys much of the local art scene, from the SIFF to the ballet, and spends far too much time watching kitten videos on the internet.