Melanie Daniel | Yours to Inherit: Opening Reception | November 1, 3 - 5 PM

"These paintings are a form of storytelling, a way of preserving personal mythologies in a world that is slowly being erased by time and the elements. They invite viewers to reflect on themes of impermanence, resilience, and the relationship between humanity and nature.

One room of the gallery houses paintings with a far-away perspective of a city. Looking down at a cityscape as the sun sinks behind the horizon and witnessing all of the sparkling lights pierce through a twilight sky ignites a special sense of wonder. Only the witching hour constitutes the galvanic appeal of the nocturnal metropolis.
During the day, urban metropolises follow the dictates of functionality and efficiency, yoked to conduct evaluated for optimization, leaving little room for breathing. Upon nightfall however, the city unmasks its invisible side, and creates quiet space for exploration and magic.
When we look out at a dark and dusky vista, tiny lights reach out into the horizon serve as a reminder of the vastness of the world and that we are all but one miniscule glowing dot in this blanket of darkness.
And yet, if we accept that every individual glowing light illuminates a living being’s life, their hearts and minds, histories and stories, a sense of interconnection with the greater world feels possible. Zoom in. The second room in the gallery features highly detailed and personal aspects of storytelling. On the very edges of cities, we discover abandoned homes and shape-shifting characters who thrive in the wild.
In a world that prioritizes the new and the shiny, there’s something profoundly valuable about pausing to appreciate the beauty of decay. Yours to Inherit features a forgotten home, crumbling yet full of history. It stands as a silent witness to the stories of lives once lived, of a bygone era that are both haunting and beautiful. Nature reclaims what humanity has left behind. Moss creeps up crumbling walls, mushrooms form a dense pathway up a stairway, and trees grow through windows and roof. It is a reminder of life’s transience and a testament to the enduring power of the natural world."

— Melanie Daniel