Melaine was born in 1957 at Christchurch, educated at St Mary's College, Christchurch 1969-1974 where art subjects
stopped at School Certificate level. In 1983 she went to Hagley High to attain art passes for
University Entrance and Bursary.

Althought mostly self-taught she feels fortunate to have several accomplished artists as teachers and mentors.
Melaine has a special affinity with still life and aims to give it a contemporary twist.
What intrigues her is how a simple object can be influenced by light,
shadow and borrows reflections from other surfaces.

The challenge for her is to represent the essence of this interaction on canvas.
Painting seriously for five years, her works have been received into every gallery she has approached,
and with strong demand for her work, she now paints full time.