Born in Carmel CA, daughter of painter Richard Lofton, Melissa Lofton has spent much of her life painting. She attended UC Davis, but found that much of her learning was through persistence, curiosity, and experimentation. Studying the work of artists she admired gave her essential information and enthusiasm. She worked in a variety of mediums, including textiles, clay, collage, 3D assemblage, but for the last 40 years she has worked mostly in oils. Lofton paints large format canvases in oil, characterized by complex, lively color and texture. As a longtime resident high on a ridge in Big Sur CA, where she also works, she finds endless fascination in the changing conditions of weather, mountains, trees, clouds, fog, sparkling sea, star filled nights and glorious skies. These elements occur in her work in increasingly abstracted forms, despite being driven by an intense connection with and love of nature. She is fascinated with the possibilities a more subjective inner world presents: dreams, thoughts, visions, fleeting moments, elements of nature and the qualities and feelings of living on this planet. “Having lived in Big Sur most of my life, I am constantly surprised and delighted at how rich and varied the coast and mountains are. Always changing, often challenging, I think of my life here as “life on the edge”. This quality of life in Big Sur parallels my own desire to paint on the edge as well, moving between inner and outer landscape, between what seems to be external and what is clearly internal”. Her work has been represented by numerous galleries and is in many collections world-wide.She is a longtime member of the Carmel Art Association.