Melanie Sovran Wolfe, the Artist

To purchase an original or commission a painting, contact me via the contact form. To buy a print, stationery, or tote, go to my page on Fine Art America

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My love affair with New England folk art began in the 1990s, when I first discovered the charming, nostalgic world of Charles Wysocki’s painted villages. At the time, I had just relocated from Germany to Oklahoma, and Americana décor was having a moment. In our cozy 1930’s bungalow on the Fort Sill military post, I dedicated an entire room to red, white, and blue—an ode to my country and being back home.

I vividly remember completing one of Wysocki’s jigsaw puzzles for my Americana room, a whimsical townscape rendered in his signature style, and framing it proudly for the wall.

That simple act became the seed of a deep, enduring affection for New England villages. But painting Wysocki’s style, never. I was scared to paint or even draw. As a child, I developed a fear of painting after being criticized, and I always believed I couldn’t do it. I didn’t know it at the time, but I had dysgraphia, which made hand coordination difficult for writing or art. I was terrible, I thought. So, I never gave myself the chance.

Now, more than thirty years later, I find myself living in a storybook coastal town in New England itself, and overcoming the majority of the fears that once dictated my life. I taught myself how to write a novel, and my seventh book won a literary contest. Then I decided it was time to confront my fear of painting, and, like my writing, I taught myself, and here I am, selling my work. When I'm not writing a book, I paint—often inspired by Wysocki’s legacy, adding my own brushstrokes to the timeless charm that first captured my heart all those years ago.