Mel Peifer

Mel was born and raised in a small town in central Illinois. At an early age he displayed a talent

for drawing, often found with a pencil and paper. This interest led to a 50-year career as a

draftsman/engineer.

At the age of 32, Mel enrolled in the Illinois State University fine art program but in his third

year, obligations forced him to return to the engineering career. His dream was always to resume

his art after retiring but it was never dormant. His talent with pen and ink could turn a boring

engineering drawing into a work of art and was often called on to create displays and renderings.

His artistic design also included landscape designs, house plans, landscape structures, and a super

tree house for his daughter.

In 1986 Mel moved to the Northwest and went to work for the City of Redmond. As he got

closer to that retirement target Mel started getting more involved in the art community taking

many classes around the area. For three years he ran the life drawing sessions at the Daniel Smith

art store while honing his drawing skill. During this time he studied watercolor painting with

several well-known artist in the Seattle Area including; Kay Barnes, Joan Pinney, Kathy Collins,

and Ann Breckon.

In July of 2012, Mel retired from the City of Redmond and was now free to chase the dream. In

the summer of 2013 he took his first oil painting class and discovered that he had found his love.

He likes doing portraits but is also interested in landscapes and still life. Mel spent several

winters in Mesa Arizona and has discovered a new love of painting the wild horses of the Salt

River. Mel moved to Coupeville WA in 2017 and looks forward to joining all the great artist on

Whidbey Island.

Mel studied under the following artist in the Seattle area:

Classical drawing and painting under Larine Chung, drawing, Dan Riley and Joe Mac Kechnie

Oil Painting under Holly White-Gehrt, Steve Whitney, Olga Kiehn, Brandy Agun, Aaron Coberly,

Sasha Zimin, Liana Bennett. At the Whidbey Island Fine Art Studio he studied under TJ

Conningham, Robert Liberace, Mitch Beard, Jim Lamb, Jeff Legg, and Elizabeth Zanzibar also

Jim Phalen at Gage Academy, and Bud Heiss in Mesa AZ, plus David Kassan and Rose Frantzen

at the Scottsdale Artist School.

Shows and Galleries:

Evergreen Association or Fine Arts Gallery

Eastside Artist Collaborative Gallery

Pacific NW Art School Gallery

Las Palmas Art and Craft Show

Coupeville Art Festival

Edmonds Art Walk

Whidbey Allied Artist