Melissa Artemis
Shemanna
Artist Bio:
Originating from Australia and currently based in the UK, Melissa Artemis Shemanna is a visionary artist and curator who initiates the viewer into the experience of her works through the living myth and magic of her art form. A custodian of ancient wisdom, Melissa works in the totemic lineage of the Honeybee Dreaming Priestess, as an oracular embodiment, becoming a conduit of esoteric knowledge to be passed on as sacred ritual. Her canvases serve as visionary portals, where the mysterious and profound intersect with a strong sense of purpose, that expresses her devotion to art as a potent magical rite.
Melissa Artemis Shemanna began both oil painting and esoteric practice at a very early age, and has nurtured and dedicated her pathway towards the evolution of mastery ever since. Being initiated into Yogic, Tantrik, 13 Moon sacred blood mysteries, oracular divination arts and Honeybee Priestess & Medicine woman original traditions, amongst others, Shemanna is a lifelong devotee to the magical arts. Melissa’s artistic journey opened up at age 5, where she began to seriously study drawing and painting passed down from her great Grandfather, and has progressed throughout her life, learning from many mentors over the years. Including teachers hailing from the Ernst Fuchs surrealist, visionary lineage in Vienna, specialising in old masters style egg tempera and oil glazing Mischtechnik. Extended residential painting study immersions in Italy and Bali. 5 year mentorship with esoteric painter & clay sculptor Bruno Torfs in Marysville Aus, and an institutional Arts degree from a college in NSW. Melissa’s art practice is mainly focused on the medium of traditional oils and tempera, applied in multiple glazed layers to create translucent lenses of refracted colour. Often mixing her own paint from pigments and hand made mediums, Melissa enjoys the alchemy that is part of the traditional paint bending process.
In 1995 Shemanna created OMNICULTURE, an arts and culture initiative that drove community arts projects in Sydney Australia and continued to develop its services. In 2018 Shemanna officially founded its evolution; The Honeybee Temple Arts Foundation, as a visionary arts pollinator, curating international gallery projects that house excellent examples of esoteric, magical, pan-visionary and omni-cultural arts, also raising awareness for the sacred Honeybee.
In 2022 Melissa embarked on a career blazing art pilgrimage, with over a decade of her paintings, and has exhibited them in multiple shows in both Europe and the UK in the past 2 years. Including; STARFIRE a solo exhibition in Hackney Wick London, ONEIROPRAXIS at Hastings Museum and Gallery UK, Exeter University Breaking Convention Visionaries, Wasing Estate Medicine Festival International Gallery, North Hampton University Esoteric Convention Gallery, Haekem Gallery Brussels Belgium, Ritual Arts Conference Amsterdam and more.
Melissa Shemanna’s original paintings can be found in private collections in Australia, UK, Europe, USA, Bali, and Romania.