Meet Melissa Potter-Pennock

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Potter-Pennock. 

Hi Melissa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It all started with a paint-by-number my parents gifted me when I was a little girl. I loved that experience so much I decided to try painting nature scenes on my own. From there I quickly fell in love with watercolors painting landscapes and wildlife. I would hide behind my bed during homework time just painting away. 

Throughout school, I had several teachers in their own way tell me I was not a very good artist. In middle school, I had a teacher fix my painting of a polar bear. After she walked away, I changed the painting back the way I originally had it, in doing so I received a failing grade. I honestly don’t remember feeling upset, I liked the way I portrayed my painting better than what she envisioned. 

In high school, I took a graphic design class hoping to go into college with a degree that would still be art based, but also be a guaranteed career. My graphic design teacher flat-out told me I would never be a graphic designer. This was a huge disappointment, so I started college pursuing a business degree. After my first year I changed gears, let’s just say some artists are not great with math skills and I was struggling. I chose instead to go for graphic design after all, and got my degree! Upon graduation two of my professors told me I would own my own business one day, I thought “yeah right, not in a million years”. 

Shortly after I graduated, I took on the task of painting floral wine glasses for wedding guests. This is where my love of glass painting started. I had found a unique niche and so my Etsy shop, Melissa Marie Artistry, was born in 2014. 

Most of my artwork is inspired from yearly trips backpacking the most incredible places. Grayson Highlands, the land of the free-roaming Ponies, The Great Smoky mountains along the Appalachian Trail, The Porcupine Mountains in our beloved home state. That and the love for my dogs inspired Custom pet portraits. 

In 2020 I was working full-time at hobby Lobby. During the covid shutdown, I re-evaluated my life. The starving artist has always scared me from taking the leap to being entirely self-employed, but with my loving husband telling me to go for it, I went for it!! I paid to have a website built, filed for an LLC, had professional product pictures taken, all in all I was feeling professional. I started traveling to as many art shows as I can year-round. I have chosen to stay with Etsy as well, they truly do a wonderful job helping us little guys get seen. I had an aha moment thinking back to my professors being right, I now owned a business! Every day is an adventure, and sometimes the path is rocky. Rome wasn’t built in a day and my business has a lot of growing to go, but every step is a step forward, even learning from mistakes! I put my Trust in God every step of the way. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road here has been a bit rocky. From teachers discouraging me, financial difficulties with up-front costs, and most of all fear of failure. I constantly struggle with social media content. Being creative and figuring out the algorithm or what songs are trending is extremely difficult and exhausting for me. This is an area I may eventually seek outside help for, there are individuals who strive in this department. Overall, going for my dream is worth every up and down that comes. I thank God and my loving husband who encourages as well as supports me on this journey. Without support, I’m sure I wouldn’t be where I am today. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I paint glassware with pebeo 160 glass paints. These paints give a beautiful stained glass look with maximum durability. All my glassware is dishwasher-safe on the top rack! I love how the light shines through these paints, or how the color of your beverage changes their look. One of my personal favorites is a sunset painting over the Appalachian Mountains that poured out of me after backpacking through the Smokies. I’m also known for pet portrait paintings. I use plaid enamel glass paints with a special clear coat that protects the paint. These paints are opaque and can give a layered look for places like the fur. 

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Every year my family would take us camping at the sleeping bear dunes platte river campground. We would kayak the river, swim in Lake Michigan, make blueberry pancakes with wild blueberries my grandma, sister and I would find near camp. This place is so special, my grandma use to take my dad there when he was growing up. My parents instilled in me a fondness for nature that has developed into one of the best parts of my life. Those camping trips were a slice of heaven that will forever hold fond memories. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://melissamarieartistry.com/ Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MelissaMarieArtistry
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissamarieartistry
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissamarieartistry.llc 

Image Credits
Steve Dean Photography