Artist Bio
Melanie Moralez is a swing jazz guitarist, and an art and music instructor, newly relocated in Rochester, NY. She earned her master's degree from Montana State University, where she also taught various art and design courses as an adjunct art professor until the spring of 2024. Her abstract encaustic (wax and often other mixed media) paintings engage ideas surrounding the perception and depiction of sound, vocalization, and music. The other branch of her visual art centers around musician portraits, both drawn and painted in a realistic style.
Previous to teaching visual art courses for MSU, Melanie taught both art and music high school classes at Eastside Academy, near Seattle, WA. She is currently teaching art, piano, and guitar for Aria's School of Music and Art. She also teaches guitar and several other instruments for String Lark Lessons. She actively performs vintage jazz, swing, and jazz manouche for three Rochester bands; Duo de Django, Victrola Voilà! And The Biltmore Commandos.
"The creation and reception of art is a microcosm for the questions and answers of life: the curiosities we gather, and the messages we feel compelled to share. The sense of purpose that creating art grants, in union with the rewards of teaching it, yields solace and inspiration."
- Melanie Moralez
- Melanie Moralez
