Although trained as classical pianist, Melissa Husby's talents extend into the visual arts, specifically drawing and painting, a path she has ardently pursued for the past 35 years.

A native of San Francisco, CA, Melissa received her BA in Fine Art from the University of Notre Dame de Namur, in Belmont, Ca in 1970. Seeking always to improve her skills, Melissa has studied with Anthony Ryder, author of "The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing" in Santa Fe, NM; Andrew Conklin, Dutch Figure Painting, in New York; attended classes at the Graduate School of Figurative Art at the New York Academy of Art; and studied Illusionistic Portrait Painting with Patrick Connors in Philadelphia.

The figure is Melissa's passion; resilience and fragility of the human spirit her focus. In love with teaching as well, Melissa offers classes in academic drawing and painting, based on the belief that "one's drawing skills must be beyond reproach" and the painting will follow in accordance with the level of one's drawing skills. Currently, she offers classes in: Drawing, using the "sight-size" method; Painting (oil) with still life props and lighting; Portrait Drawing and Painting (oil) as well as Figure Drawing and Painting (oil).

Melissa Husby is an award winning fine artist who has taught at the University of California at Berkeley, John F. Kennedy University, and has been a frequent guest lecturer at St. Mary's College. She began her own atelier in Lincoln, NE, where she taught her own curriculum classes and has been a guest instructor at numerous other facilities. Her work hangs in private and corporate collections worldwide and is currently represented by the Louisville Art Gallery, Louisville, NE.