Artwork copyright Melissa Lang. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Thistle Plant, Measurement, 1998

Melissa Lang
American (born 1960)

Location: Department of Transportation - Spokane Engineers Office, Spokane

About the Artwork

Artist Melissa Lang created the expressive painting Thistle Plant, Measurement. Elements suggest natural forms like seedpods, plants, insects, and cells. She collects plants on long walks, and uses biology textbooks for inspiration. She notes, “Through a process of discovery, selection, invention and reinvention, I create a natural world that is more about my life experience and reaction to nature than the actual portrayal of nature itself.”

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Department of Transportation.

About the Artist

Spokane, Eastern Washington-based artist Melissa Lang creates painting and drawings inspired by nature and human anatomy. Her art "investigates notions of imte, the struggle between human emotion and intellect, and the differences between how the mind and the senses constitute reality."