Melanie Hickerson has been painting stories her entire career. Next spring, the Austin-based artist will present her latest chapter at Ceres Gallery in New York, where her work has found a consistent home over the years. The exhibition, titled “Miracles,” runs from March 31st through April 25th, 2026, with an opening reception on April 2nd.
Hickerson’s journey to this moment began in the oil fields of Texas and Oklahoma, traveled through the ancient ruins of Rome, and eventually settled in the intense light of the American Southwest. That light—bright, unforgiving, honest—permeates her original acrylic paintings, creating what she describes as a high-key palette that reflects decades of living under Southwestern skies.
From Rome to Texas
In 1977, Hickerson moved to Rome, where she supported herself by painting historic ruins. It was an education in both craft and composition. After returning to the United States, she earned her MFA from The University of Texas at Austin in 1985 and promptly moved to New York City, immersing herself in the art community there. By 1999, she had returned to Austin, where she has maintained her studio practice for the past quarter century.
The upcoming exhibition will feature work from two recent series: “Ribbon of Life” and “Homage to Miracles.” These paintings explore ecological loss and interconnectedness through dream-like imagery that blends narrative, metaphor, and personal experience. Her contemporary fine art paintings employ what she calls “the drama of the Baroque period” in their composition, favoring dynamic movement over static balance.
A Practice of Recognition
Hickerson describes her approach as painting “not what was previously known but gives recognition.” Her work doesn’t illustrate the familiar; it makes visible what might otherwise remain unseen. The paintings included in “Miracles,” such as “RIBBONS” (29.25″ x 23.5″, acrylic on linen canvas) and “A CHILD WITH FRIENDS” (20″ x 16″, acrylic on canvas), both completed in 2025, demonstrate this commitment to revealing rather than depicting.
Her work has earned placement in the permanent collections of the University of Texas at San Antonio and Texas Lutheran University in Seguin. But for an artist whose focus remains on storytelling, the real achievement may be the ongoing conversation her paintings create with viewers who encounter them.
For collectors, curators, and galleries interested in narrative-driven contemporary artwork, Hickerson represents an artist who has steadily developed her voice over four decades. She continues to paint from her Austin studio, where the Southwestern light still shapes every canvas.
