Meet Melina van Wyk | Digital Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melina van Wyk and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melina, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
My own experience with postnatal depression and raising a child on the autism spectrum inspired me to raise awareness for both mental health and autism. People with autism are not ill or broken, they simply have a unique view of the world – captured so well by the Māori word for autism” Takiwātanga” which means in his/her own time and space.

My son and his ongoing battles for equality inspired my art. My drawings remind my children and others that we are created to celebrate our differences and that we are all capable of achieving extraordinary things.

I use my art as a way to educate others about what it means to be autistic. I am passionate about giving back to the world around me and always have a few diverse projects and collaborations underway. I regularly donate artwork for community fundraisers but a project that remains close to my heart is where I donate personalised illustrations to families with children on the autism spectrum.

My drawings continue to give me the opportunity to connect with people and causes that I genuinely care about and I love that a few precious hours of calm and mindfulness in turn has the power to make others smile.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
A love for nature runs in my family and to quote Lorraine Anderson, “Nature has been for me, for as long as I remember, a source of solace, inspiration, adventure, and delight; a home, a teacher, a companion”. My identical twin, Marina de Wit, expresses her love for nature in photography and is an extraordinarily talented fine art nature photographer.

It was one of her beautiful macro photographs that finally clicked things into place for me of pursuing my dream to illustrate full-time.

I love traditional art mediums however digital art allows me to create my own beautiful and unique illustrations whilst juggling a busy lifestyle and two boisterous children.

I draw inspiration from a wide range of subjects and aesthetics, but vintage woodcut illustrations and botanical art remain close to my heart. My drawings are detailed, realistic, fun, quirky, smile-inducing, and often feature loveable critters; some cute, others with attitude, but all created to celebrate our uniqueness and to remind the viewer that we are all ordinary people capable of achieving extraordinary things.

This is reflected in my favourite quote by Dr. Seuss, “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

As a creative my journey continues and it has many ups and downs. My biggest lesson has been to remain open to sharing everything that I’ve learnt along the way with others. There is enough to go around and the support from fellow creatives is invaluable.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Visit sunny Nelson at the top of the South Island of New Zealand. Nelson is renowned for its beautiful outdoors, adventure activities, arts, heritage & culture.

– Jetboating the Buller River at 85 km/hour
– Skydiving and soaring over three national parks: Kahurangi, Nelson Lakes and Abel Tasman.
– Enjoy the breath-taking scenery of turquoise oceans, golden beaches, mountain vistas, orchards and vineyards.
– Cycling is an integral part of Nelson Tasman’s culture; bike from the beautiful Rabbit Island and catch a ferry across to Mapua Wharf for ice cream in the afternoon sun.
– Explore the boutique vineyards and artisan fare
– Take a trip on some of the art trails that span the length of the region, visiting local artists at work in their studios. There’s plenty to choose from as Nelson Tasman is home to one of the largest number of working artists in the country.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I nominate NZ artist, Anna Mollekin who owns and operates doodlewear, a New Zealand artist collab.

doodlewear proudly supports local NZ artists and print production and provides a collective space where you can find local NZ artists’ prints in a wearable form.

Anna is an incredibly talented and wonderfully supportive human being. Anna has been a tremendous source of inspiration to me, both as an artist and as a mom who juggles her own personal journey whilst supporting so many others.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m_illustrate/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mvanwykillustrate/

Other: https://www.doodlewear.co.nz/collections/m_illustrate

Image Credit:
Images of art supplied (credit Melina van Wyk)
Artwork titled ‘CuriousTulips’ (credit Melina van Wyk & Marina de Wit)
Photo of Melina van Wyk (credit Marina de Wit)