January 1: An ambiguous day

“Winter” by Lisa Mellinger

The winter solstice is past, the days are growing longer, and I’m hankering to pay a visit to the studio of Tacoma artist Lisa Mellinger. I find her in a retro-cool 1920s abode complete with a roaring fireplace, a huffy gray cat and a chihuahua-like dog with long legs that resembles a tiny deer. Stacks of drawings and paintings in various stages of completion give the place a sense of industry.

One piece, Winter, stands out as capturing the balancing point between uncertainty and expectancy – looking backward or forward in time – that marks the start of a new year. What is this piece about?

“That painting is from when I lived on the Upper Westside of Manhattan in a tiny studio apartment with a view of the Empire State Building,” she explains via e-mail. “I actually had a tiny art area next to the bed.

Ambiguous artist: Lisa Mellinger at home.

“I had just ended a relationship. I walked my dog every day to Riverside Park – the Hudson River was frozen and solid ice.

“The bare branches represent my raw self. A simple closeup of falling leaves, and a new season starting. Letting go. That was in 2005….”

A Tacoma native, Mellinger spent seven years in New York City. “I was going to Louise Bourgeois’ salon on Sundays where I would bring a painting and talk with her. It was at her house in Chelsea. A group of artists and her and a filmmaker video taping us. She was so cool and had great insight when she talked to me about my work. They kept calling me back but I had to teach college art history on Sundays.”

An ebullient blonde with an impressive array of grunge woolen plaids, Mellinger recalls this period with enthusiasm. “Last night I had New York City in my dream. I was on a corny tour bus and screamed, ‘New York, I love you!'”