Background:
Melissa Bland received a BFA in Painting from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). RISD’s pedagogy encouraged interdisciplinary exploration, nurturing Melissa’s interest in other mediums. She returned to RISD in 2000 to obtain a Certificate in New Media.
She has also immersed herself in graphic design, ceramics, and interior design. A preoccupation with color, surface, tactility, and graphic quality has underpinned these pursuits. She has found that each discipline informs the other in unexpected ways, leading to new lines of discovery and unique visual solutions.
Circle Bowl, Dark Stoneware, Cone 10, Reduction
“Patterns inherently repeat, but I seek patterns that subvert expectation, reflecting life’s unpredictability and instability.”
Ceramics
Melissa is a ceramicist at Mudflat Studios in Somerville, Massachusetts. Primarily, she creates functional, wheel-thrown pottery in dark stoneware. Surface pattern and texture are a central focus. In many of the pieces, the pattern devolves, either fragmenting or terminating awkwardly.
Her ceramics have been exhibited throughout the United States, including Strictly Functional and State of Clay juried exhibitions. Her ceramic jewelry was published by Lark Crafts.
Design
While working as a freelance graphic designer, Melissa’s designs were published by Communication Arts and Rockport Publishers. She went on to redefine the website and graphic identity of a Boston-based architectural firm. During her 18 years with the firm, she developed the material library and carved out a niche for herself as the firm’s interior designer.
Recently, she gave a lecture titled, “Materiality and Meaning: Surface, Composition, and Spatiality” at Massachusetts College of Art in Boston.