Melissa Anderson received both of her degrees from the University of South Carolina, BA in 1985, and JD in 1989. Here is the note that Melissa included in her packet for the art committee.
“As a daughter of the South, my personal history and surroundings are expressed in much of my work. The places I know and the things that I collect find their place in my paintings. My inspiration and ultimately artistic expression are what I have called “Grounded in the South.” For this painting, I developed the forest as an expanse of wilderness with a rough path winding through to an unknown.
This painting was inspired by many memories as a law student at the University of South Carolina. Layered in the paint are thoughts of sitting in my first Property class with Prof. Burkhart as well as the fear of the first day in an 8 am Corporations class with Prof. John Freeman. As 1L became 2L, and 3L became graduate, the path wandered but became more defined. The painting reflects that the point beyond the path is not a termination but an unknown of what is on the other side.
I first visited Congaree National Park as a sophomore in a USC Honors College biology class. There we studied the rich layers of the forest and murky waters that wandered through the trees reaching to the sky. Little did I know that almost two decades later I would again be studying and interpreting these rich layers - this time in rich oil paint. Congaree has been revisited many times on many of my canvases. Much like the mud, paint is mixed and placed layer by layer on the canvas.
I am often questioned about the transition from legal briefs to artistic endeavors. I never took an art class outside of elementary school but somehow ventured down a path that challenged me to create and persuade through paint. I believe that each step along the way makes me a richer interpreter on the canvas. My journey is richer for my law school and legal experience.”