Melinda Camber Porter

Art of Love Tour

The Art of Love, a multi-media traveling one-woman exhibition of Melinda Camber Porter's paintings and writings curated by Leo Castelli, opened at The French Embassy in New York in 1993. It has been on view in fourteen cities including: New York, The French Embassy; Boston, The French Library; Chicago, The Alliance Française; Washington, D.C., The French Embassy; Miami, The Alliance Française; New Orleans, The Alliance Française; Hartford, The West Hartford Art League; New York, Lincoln Center; Golden Colorado, The Foothills Art Center; Sioux Falls, The Civic Art Center; and Casper, Wyoming, Nicolaysen Art Museum.

In the Fall of 1993 The French Embassy, New York, honored Melinda Camber Porter by mounting an exhibition of her paintings and books and producing a documentary film on her work. The exhibition was presented on the occasion of the publication of her book, The Art of Love, which is a selection of 60 love poems illustrated by the artist's paintings. In addition, the event was celebrated with the reissuing of Ms. Camber Porter's Through Parisian Eyes, a collection of interviews with French cultural luminaries.

The exhibition was made possible thanks to the generosity of The French Embassy, The Federation of Alliances Françaises USA, the Colorado, Connecticut, South Dakota, and Wyoming Arts Councils, and The National Endowment for the Arts.

Critical Acclaim

"Not since William Blake has an artist created such a profound relationship between the visual and verbal worlds. Melinda Camber Porter's vision is subtle, lyrical and has universal significance." —Leo Castelli

"The great 'meltdown' of modern sexual anarchy is the real subject of Melinda Camber Porter's novel Frank. Nevertheless she has some hope for a post-anarchic future. Even now, she seems to say, love is possible. A kind of love, perhaps. Some kind of love. Readers will understand, without coaching, what she means." —Saul Bellow

"The subject of the sensual—what a human being can experience through the physical self and the senses, and the profound effect of that experience is at the heart of Ms. Camber Porter's output as both an artist and writer. . . . This painter-novelist draws a line between erotic and obscene." —The New York Times

"Melinda Camber Porter's poetry and paintings have a soft, lyrical quality which is intensely attractive." —Ishmael Reed

"Melinda Camber Porter skillfully picks and chooses what she needs from the entire range of modernism, exploiting and integrating all to openly probe her own deepest feelings. Her skill with color is evident in the richness of her early works, and her palette steadily brightens after her move to the States and literally explodes in the mid-eighties. These post-1985 works are as saturated in color as those of the Fauves. Her courage with color is matched by predilections for larger formats and for juggling figures and compositions in extremely original ways. Her fresh, lyrical canvases and ambitious themes are filled with personal yet universal symbols and should have wide appeal." —Nancy Karlins, curator and critic

"Melinda Camber Porter's work is so sensitive and sweet—a balm in our cynical age." —Lowery Sims, Curator of Twentieth Century Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

"Melinda Camber Porter's paintings remind me a bit of Redon (not the mystical stuff—that was intellectual fads or a historical period misusing his talents—but the later work, for example Flower Clouds [c. 1903, pastel 44.5 x 54.2 cm., The Art Institute of Chicago]). I think Melinda has an elegant talent, even a talent for happiness, in painting. Being the mother of two children could rightfully exhaust all of anyone's artfulness. But, with whatever's left over, pushing herself in paintings: as Rilke would say, think of what is difficult; and make each painting surpass the last; and express your curiosity about things with brush in hand. Melinda Camber Porter, who is Redon's equal and, with effort, outsurpasser." —Jeffrey Paine, editor of The Wilson Quarterly

	Art of Love
The End of the Affair Transcendence Woman Looking at Past Dans Un Delire Parralele Confrontation Shadow of Man The Embrace Woman of the Self Night Garden	Art of Love Tour The Art of Love, a multi-media traveling one-woman exhibition of Melinda Camber Porter's paintings and writings curated by Leo Castelli, opened at The French Embassy in New York in 1993. It has been on view in fourteen cities including: New York, The French Embassy; Boston, The French Library; Chicago, The Alliance Française; Washington, D.C., The French Embassy; Miami, The Alliance Française; New Orleans, The Alliance Française; Hartford, The West Hartford Art League; New York, Lincoln Center; Golden Colorado, The Foothills Art Center; Sioux Falls, The Civic Art Center; and Casper, Wyoming, Nicolaysen Art Museum. In the Fall of 1993 The French Embassy, New York, honored Melinda Camber Porter by mounting an exhibition of her paintings and books and producing a documentary film on her work. The exhibition was presented on the occasion of the publication of her book, The Art of Love, which is a selection of 60 love poems illustrated by the artist's paintings. In addition, the event was celebrated with the reissuing of Ms. Camber Porter's Through Parisian Eyes, a collection of interviews with French cultural luminaries. The exhibition was made possible thanks to the generosity of The French Embassy, The Federation of Alliances Françaises USA, the Colorado, Connecticut, South Dakota, and Wyoming Arts Councils, and The National Endowment for the Arts. Critical Acclaim "Not since William Blake has an artist created such a profound relationship between the visual and verbal worlds. Melinda Camber Porter's vision is subtle, lyrical and has universal significance." —Leo Castelli "The great 'meltdown' of modern sexual anarchy is the real subject of Melinda Camber Porter's novel Frank. Nevertheless she has some hope for a post-anarchic future. Even now, she seems to say, love is possible. A kind of love, perhaps. Some kind of love. Readers will understand, without coaching, what she means." —Saul Bellow "The subject of the sensual—what a human being can experience through the physical self and the senses, and the profound effect of that experience is at the heart of Ms. Camber Porter's output as both an artist and writer. . . . This painter-novelist draws a line between erotic and obscene." —The New York Times "Melinda Camber Porter's poetry and paintings have a soft, lyrical quality which is intensely attractive." —Ishmael Reed "Melinda Camber Porter skillfully picks and chooses what she needs from the entire range of modernism, exploiting and integrating all to openly probe her own deepest feelings. Her skill with color is evident in the richness of her early works, and her palette steadily brightens after her move to the States and literally explodes in the mid-eighties. These post-1985 works are as saturated in color as those of the Fauves. Her courage with color is matched by predilections for larger formats and for juggling figures and compositions in extremely original ways. Her fresh, lyrical canvases and ambitious themes are filled with personal yet universal symbols and should have wide appeal." —Nancy Karlins, curator and critic "Melinda Camber Porter's work is so sensitive and sweet—a balm in our cynical age." —Lowery Sims, Curator of Twentieth Century Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art "Melinda Camber Porter's paintings remind me a bit of Redon (not the mystical stuff—that was intellectual fads or a historical period misusing his talents—but the later work, for example Flower Clouds [c. 1903, pastel 44.5 x 54.2 cm., The Art Institute of Chicago]). I think Melinda has an elegant talent, even a talent for happiness, in painting. Being the mother of two children could rightfully exhaust all of anyone's artfulness. But, with whatever's left over, pushing herself in paintings: as Rilke would say, think of what is difficult; and make each painting surpass the last; and express your curiosity about things with brush in hand. Melinda Camber Porter, who is Redon's equal and, with effort, outsurpasser." —Jeffrey Paine, editor of The Wilson Quarterly
Man and Woman in Infinity Woman Behind Shadow	The Art of Love: Love Poems and Paintings by Melinda Camber Porter Writers and Readers Publishing ISBN hardcover 0-86316-167-5 ISBN softcover 0-86316-167-7 "My Life in Two Worlds" In the other life I led where the broken window leads inwards crushed hope lay on my plate above was the red sun at night on your Parisian streets sudden hope ran wild eternity flowered in every second I bled eternity within you I became the infinity of loss no division between life and death. Both cowered before my new vision. Years later, in New York City, I saw in your eyes you had never seen what I had been given. If we were in a story of my own writing I would give you my vision opening wilder than infinite hope of rebirths, those gods of any civilization within my human hand driven images unwieldy within imagination now such fresh blood under my touch. I would give you what fear of Death has taken from you.
Self Portrait	"My Father's Shadow" When I awoke my father's shadow had left my side light was still of dreams blue with labyrinthine passages of unplunged time. I was lovely alone holding in hand the flesh of rib. When I awoke my father's shadow had left my side. I walked the streets too open to sky and in the narrow backstreets smudged with man's passage felt cold fear of criminal bending on the blue stone sea reflecting opaque sky. When I returned my father's shadow hung in the cupboard. The room emptied of light was too cold to love in. I cried for long hours. Perhaps a moment before dawn I came to sad dreams mangled by fear of falling falling onto flesh splitting stone shattering rock below. The Art of Love: Paintings and Writings of Melinda Camber Porter a documentary film Blake Press ISBN 0-9637552-1-8 The author reads selections from poetry and her new novel, Badlands, and discusses her art and painting. Cover illustrated with color painting by Melinda Camber Porter. Showing on over 150 Public Television Stations nationwide as part of The Spotlight on Women in the Arts' programming series. Color video. 12 minutes. VHS. Video Reviews Library Journal (1 May 1994) British-born Melinda Camber Porter is a complex contemporary talent, being poet and painter as well as correspondent for the London Times in Paris and New York. In this interview, she speaks of her life, work, and struggle with art as paintings and excerpts of her writings from her exhibition, "The Art of Love," are explored. In her paintings, naked figures move through ethereal impressionistic worlds rich in color. Her poetry is strong in imagery. The union of visual image and word in the exhibition is very powerful. Porter speaks eloquently about her waking to art and following the less-traveled road of emotion and impulse rather than the well-worn path of academe. This film is slated for broadcast on PBS stations as the exhibition travels to major U.S. cities; people will soon hear about Porter. A good addition to serious art collections. Video Rating Guide for Libraries, Vol. 5, No. 4 Porter is an engaging subject whose openness helps create an intimate portrait of this talented woman. Art students and women's groups may enjoy getting to know her, as will anyone who keeps up with new developments in art. The French Embassy has mounted a one-woman exhibition of her works that is traveling to French installations in the United States. Billboard (6 August 1994) A well-paced chronicle of personal and professional achievement that will appeal to artists of all ilks.
	The Works of Melinda Camber Porter info@camberporter.org copyright©2004 Melinda Camber Porter