POV Exhibit – July 2025
ARTIST BIO: Melissa Lavoie
I was born under the endless prairie skies of Edmonton, AB, but my heart always belonged to the sea. I didn’t know it until a highschool art trip to Bamfield – that’s where the wild Pacific and all it’s beauty crashed into me and changed me forever. I finally knew exactly why I never felt like Alberta was home. I left a bit of my soul on the island after that first trip and vowed to return one day, permanently. I achieved that goal 5 years ago, as I promised my younger self. I continue to paint the Island and all the secrets the ocean has to offer.
My work lives in the space between storm and sanctuary, where lighthouses stand cutting beams through the fog, ships battle elemental fury, and the ocean’s creatures linger just beneath the surface.
But truthfully? I think my brushes remember what my hands don’t; some past life spent with salt in my veins. Maybe it’s in my blood. My ancestors were Norman sailors; storm-chasers and whale hunters, from the coasts of France who probably knew the Atlantic like the back of their hands.
These paintings aren’t just what I see, they’re what my soul knows.
Now I wake up to the sound of waves outside my window, and I still can’t believe I get to call this place home. The ocean’s not done with me yet, and honestly? I hope it never is.
Instagram: @melissa.lavoie.art
