Painting by local artist Arnold Melton II (1952 - 2023). 16x20in. paired with a membership to the Chester County Art Association

Membership to CCAA Benefits Include:
-Special member rates for studio art classes, workshops, and
lectures
-Entry into our group member exhibitions
-Member access to equipment rentals such as art display panels
-15% off framing services at Visual Expansion Gallery (Mention
you are a member at time of payment)

Arnold Moore Melton Il was a self-taught artist born and raised in West Chester, Pennsylvania. As a child he exhibited a talent and passion for art, sketching comic book heroes in pencil. He eventually began using charcoals and focused on other mediums and subject matter, dabbling in both styles of realism and abstract. Few, if any, of his early works survive. It was later in life that he began to focus on using acrylic paints to create art. At first, his style was realism; however, as his body aged, he had issues with his fingers and wrist cramping which impeded his ability to hold a brush steady. Frustrated, he went in search of another outlet for his creative talents; this is when he found the process known as "Acrylic Pour" and he began using this process to create abstract paintings. Art was a means of escape for Arnold throughout his life. In the years directly preceding his death, the passion to create became more intense as the act of painting was his therapy. This was no more apparent than after he was diagnosed with leukemia. For years he was in remission; during the summer of 2022 he received news his body was no longer responding to the drug therapy he had been receiving, chemo was the only treatment left. He lost his fight on January 26, 2023. Though Arnold never articulated the inspiration behind his work, one may surmise many of the pours came from within and reflect the emotions he may have been feeling during the time he was creating the piece. Still other paintings seem to explore the natural world surrounding us as well as worlds beyond time and space. Some of the works may invoke feelings of calm and/or joy while other dark pieces may raise feelings of despair, pain, and impending doom. Each creation has a different feel depending on the viewer's perception and state of mind. During Mr. Melton's lifetime he sold many of his realism paintings as well as a few of his acrylic pour pieces. However, he left quite a few unsold completed acrylic pour canvases behind. It is these completed canvases that are currently available for purchase. Although Arnold was not in the habit of titling his work or providing any way of distinguishing one painting from another, a few pieces do have titles but those reside with family members.