Mel Brady (1978) was raised in a bohemian environment, her parents encouraged her to adopt a broad and somewhat anti-establishment outlook on life. She relished the opportunities such parenting afforded her, exposure to diverse people, alternative ideas and the constant dialogue around artistic, political and social issues. All of these experiences have served her intellectual inquiry, and artistic development. A natural explorer and very curious by nature, Mel gets her artistic inspiration from her extensive travels. Traversing the World, she meets and connects with people from different ethnicities, in various environments both urban and rural, researching their culture and heritage.

Searching for difference in the people she meets, she was struck by the striking similarities, connecting points and the shared kindred spirits she encountered. These unexpected bonding's and unlikely affinities, that she found tying together various ethnicity's and cultures, stimulates her artistic practice and continues to keep her socially engaged. Mel's paintings celebrate these memorable encounters in joyous colour, reflecting the pleasure of connections she finds, painting with an energy that echoes the vibrancy of these connections.