Melissa Reischman is a Los Angeles based artists whose work explores psychological and existential states of being. She is a Kipaipai Fellow, a recipient of Lancaster Municipal Public Art Foundations’ (LMPAF) President’s Award, 2019, and a grant recipient from the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI). She served on the board of the Southern California Women’s Caucus for Art, from 2018-2024. She co-founded and co-produced the Sunland-Tujunga Open Studios, (2017-2018) a regional community event.
Reischman has exhibited in several notable regional spaces, including solo exhibitions at the Museum of Art and History (MOAH) Cedar Gallery in Lancaster, CA and Gallery 825 in Los Angeles.
Group exhibitions include The Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery at Barnsdall, Los Angeles; and The Brand Library, Glendale, CA. Reischman’s art can be found in the permanent collection of the Lancaster Museum of Art and History (MOAH) and several private collections locally and internationally.
Reischman was born in Portland, Oregon, she currently lives and works in the foothills of Los Angeles.
Artist statement
I use principles of light and dark to explore psychological and existential states of being. My work that spans charcoal to oil paint is often informed by the natural occurrence of light found in nature and it’s flora. The images are inspired by my encounters with the natural world, and informed by personal mythologies, and memories. Certain aspects of my work are deeply autobiographical, incorporating my own feelings and observations. They serve as visual metaphors for psycho-spiritual transformation. Through my work I contemplate parallel possibilities that lie beyond the physical realm, one that is felt rather than seen.
I use charcoal for its ethereal qualities, making the desired soft, smooth transitions possible. I use oil paint to further investigate atmosphere and form, yet remain focused on elements of nature, spirituality, and the philosophy of Wabi-Sabi that speaks to the evanescence of life and the beauty found in imperfections. I find inspiration in the meticulously rendered flowers of the Dutch still-life period and their allusion to inevitable decay. The work of Agnes Pelton, a transcendental artist, articulates the transformational process and addresses the inherent spiritual aspect found in abstract art.
Born 1962, Portland, OR
Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023 Museum of Art and History (MOAH), Lancaster, CA, Sensory Perceptions
2019 Gallery 825, Los Angeles CA, Portals, Vessels and the Metaphysical Landscape
2012 The Rose Cafe, Recent Paintings, Venice, C;A
2005 Private Studio Exhibition, Hollywood, CA, Relocation Project
JURIED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026 We’re Very Well Read, it’s Well Known Curated by Mat Gleason, Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles, Los Angeles , CA
Gabba Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Curated by Cannibal Flower
2025 Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA Leitmotif
Tryst Torrence CA, Kipaipai Collective
Gossamer Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
Trail of Angels Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
2024 Brand 52 Brand Library, Glendale, CA
Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA Crackerjack
The 6000 Circle Project, Range Projects, Los Angeles, CA
Reputed, Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
Bloom, Shoebox Projects, Los Angeles, CA
2023 Ancestral Connections, Avenue 50 Studio, Los Angeles, CA,
Seeing Red Shelley Heffler Contemporary Art,Cathedral City, CA
2022 Museum of Art & History (MOAH) Lancaster, CA Human Natures, Highlights from MOAH’s Permanent Collection
Melissa Morgan Fine Art, Palm Desert, CA
Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center, Burbank CA What’s Next?
2021 WoArt Blog, Full Circle
Gallery 825, Los Angeles CA, Vagaries
SCWCA Exhibitions, Endings & Beginings,
2020 MOAH Cedar, Lancaster, CA, 35th Annual Juried Exhibit
Common Ground Arts Collective A Different World
Gallery 825, Los Angeles CA, Penumbra
Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA, Into the Light
Gallery 825, Los Angeles CA, Floating Worlds
Neutra Institute Gallery & Museum, Los Angeles, CA, Hugging My Shadow
2019 Backspace Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Beyond Redemption
Search+ResQ Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Eight In the Shadow of Infinity
Gallery 825, Los Angeles CA, Los Angeles Art Association Annual Benefit Auction
SoLA Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Pulse of LA 2019
MOAH Cedar, Lancaster, CA, 34th Annual Juried Exhibit
Sturt Haaga Gallery, La Canada, CA Unusual Views,
Avenue 50 Studio, Los Angeles, CA Unfettered
2018 Gallery 825, Los Angeles CA, The Non-Objective Moment
Gallery 825, Los Angeles CA, Los Angeles Art Association Annual Benefit Auction
Arena 1 Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, Art Speaks! Lend Your Voice
2017 Neutra Institute Gallery & Museum, Los Angeles, CA, Phenomena
Groundspace Projects, Los Angeles, CA, It’s a Wonderful World
MOAH Cedar, Lancaster, CA, 32nd Annual Juried Arts Festival
2016 Brand Library, Glendale, CA, Brand 44
ArtShare LA, Los Angeles, CA, Spectra
Avenue 50 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Earthly Delights
Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA, The Foolish Game
2015 Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, Balance-Unbalance 2015: “Water Imbalance”
LA Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 2015 Los Angeles Juried Exhibition
Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA B/W
2014 Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA, The Non-Objective Moment
Brand Library, Glendale, CA, Brand 42
McGroarty Arts Center, Tujunga, CA, Exploring Abstraction
2013 LA Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles Juried Exhibition
2011 Brand Library, Glendale, CA, Brand 40
AWARDS, GRANTS & PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Third Best of Exhibition and LMPAF President’s Award, MOAH Cedar, 34th Annual Juried Exhibit, Lancaster, CA
Honorable Mention, MOAH Cedar, 32nd Annual Juried Arts Festival, Lancaster, CA
Grant Recipient Center for Cultural Innovation Quick Grant
Kipaipai Fellow 2020
Southern California Women's Caucus for Art, Board Member 2018-2024
Los Angeles Art Association, Member
Sunland-Tujunga Open Studios, Co-founder and Co-producer