professional photographer and sometime illustrator
www.francesjmelhop.com
http://www.myspace.com/francesjmelhop
origin New Zealand
a history...
Frances J Melhop 1966-still here
New Zealand born photographer ,Frances Melhop has been shooting since she was 12 years old and was given her first hand-me-down camera...she created a darkroom in the kitchen at home and set to work. Often seen in her high school years, running with the school skeleton from the biology lab to the art room(read "makeshift studio") across the hockey field..... macabre picture...
Her professional career began 18 years ago when she moved to Sydney Australia after studying (psychology,political science,german language ,culture and history,and religion) at Canterbury university and (photography,graphic design,sculpture,printmaking and life drawing) at Christchurch Polytechnical College followed by assisting cinematographers and photographers in New Zealand for 2 years
In Australia Frances did a further 3 years of technical photographic studies at the Sydney Institute of Technology alongside her professional photographic work. Predominantly concerned with "stories" and " fairy tales" Frances has been working on photo projects in Italy of late , surrounded by castles, legends and abandoned houses full of quiet empty spaces where time has been insidiously lurking and creating decay .
Frances works mostly with an old 5x4' or 8x10' bellows land camera (head under the black cloth) producing negatives or 8x10 polaroids.
Melhop's commissioned work has appeared in magazines worldwide such as Italian vogue,Paris vogue,Australian vogue vogue gioiello, vogue pelle,l'uomo vogue,marie claire italia, iO Donna,D della republicca,Elle portugal,Glamour germany,Russian vogue,Purple,W,self service,dazed and confused,Numerò,L'Officiel,Exit and Jalouse.
In the 1990s Melhop collaborated with Susan Norrie ; Australian artist of world-wide acclaim; ...on 3 projects for Norrie's various exhibitions...These photographs have appeared in some of the most prestigious galleries in the world and have been bought not only for private collections but also for museum and gallery collections... MOMA NY and the NSW art gallery amongst others..)
Set to become collectable in her own right Melhop is now presenting some very personal work reflecting dilemmas and doubts in her own life. She releases these images to the public eye for each viewer to apply their own story and significance to them.
*projects and research in progress include castles, abandoned houses, legends and stories in italy, underwater swimmers and a new series of images for fairytales which involve a combination of photography, illustration and painting.
EXHIBITIONS
2011 October November Vista gallery Rome Italy "bianco nero"
2010 December MIRA group show. "Ancient Olive Trees" series
Pallazzo Palmieri Martignano Italy
projections on the castle wall, and show hung in the Vecchio Frantoio
2010 November MIRA show
Martignano International Artists Residency show held at the Accademia delle Belle Arte Lecce Italy "Ancient Olive tree" series
2010 August group show “pinhole camera visionaries” Lagniappe Dunedin New Zealand
2010 Mar-May “ghost girl” Arthaus66 New Mexico USA
2010 February “waterbabe” group show for charity at Globe Milano Italy
2010 Jan-March “miniatures” group show Ghost gallery and Gossamer collective Seattle USA
2009 July “pinhole works” group show Vista gallery Rome Italy
2009 June “waterbabies” solo show Arthaus66 New Mexico USA
2008 “fairytale continues” group show Arthaus66 New Mexico USA
2007 “in teatro” group show Paul Maurin gallery Paris France
2006 “fairy tales” solo exhibition Arista gallery Cannes France
2005 “abandoned houses” solo show Premiata showroom Milan Italy
www.francesjmelhop.com
(new site under construction below)
www.frances-melhop.com
http://www.myspace.com/francesjmelhop
http://www.flickr.com/photos/enchantedpond/
http://littlematchstickgirl.blogspot.com/
NEWS*** CHOSEN AS ONE OF THE WORLDS 200 BEST AD PHOTOGRAPHERS BY LUERZERS ARCHIVE 2009/2010
NOMINATED AGAIN FOR WORLDS 200 BEST ADVERTISING PHOTOGRAPHERS BY LUERZERS ARCHIVE 2012/2013
