About

Hello All! My name is Melody Pyle, and I am an Orange County artist passionate about capturing the natural world and its vivid, vibrant hues. As someone who loves to travel, adventure, and experience new places and cultures, most of my colorful ink and pencil drawings depict the landscapes and locations that I have been fortunate enough to visit and explore through personal experiences around the world and in my own backyard.

At present, this backyard is in Orange, California, where I live with my wonderful husband, Eric. We are both quite adventurous, and love to be outdoors in the sun. Paddle boarding, hiking, and swimming are just a few of the hobbies we share in our free time and on weekends, as well as the less-adventuresome nights-in filled with movies, laughter, and a lot of buffalo wings. During the week, I dedicate my time to educating 10 and 11-year-olds as a 5th grade teacher. I am fortunate enough to work with some truly amazing young people, who challenge and inspire me to learn and grow just as much, if not more, than I encourage them.

As an educator, and a bit of a movie buff, I am one of many individuals moved by the film Dead Poets Society, starring Robin Williams as the inspirational English professor John Keating. Not only does this movie inspire creative teaching through unconventional methods, but it also draws attention to the brilliant poets of old. Men like Walt Whitman (“Oh Captain! My Captain!”) and Robert Herrick (“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time") who, utilizing their creative and magnificent use of language, continue to inspire and educate us today through written legacies and lines like “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying;” (Herrick).

My hope is that through my work, my own small contribution to the creative world, I too will play a part in resurrecting the intricate rhymes of these inspired poets and teachers, both past and present, from whom we still have valuable lessons to learn.

Although sketching and writing have always been, and continue to be, personal hobbies and creative outlets of mine, I owe this collaboration -pencils + poesy- to others outside of myself. To past (and present) teachers, including my mother, who taught me to love the arts. To my friend, Nika, who bought me Prisma colored pencils for Christmas and, in so doing, gave me a medium to work with. To my creative, fantastic husband, who elevates me to new heights through his constant support and encouragement of my passions. And ultimately, to God, who gifted me talents I do not deserve, and created a world that commands attention through elegance, sophistication, and beauty.