Melinda Carrera Ackerman (b. 1987) is from Southern California. She now lives and works in Jackson, Wyoming, in the shadow of the Tetons.

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The daughter of an artist and an engineer, Melinda grew up surrounded by paintings, projects and plants, and has been making pictures and sculptures since early childhood. She draws her inspiration from the natural world, historical art movements, and the deep humanity of portraiture. 

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Melinda earned a BA grounded in the Great Books from St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. She then pursued formal artistic training in the classical academic method from Sadie Valeri at her Atelier in San Francisco, and studied sculpture and anatomy under Alicia Ponzio. She credits workshops with Felicia Forte, David Kassan, Robert Liberace, and the many excellent instructors at the Grand Central Atelier in New York for her broad artistic philosophy.

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An avid (but aggrieved) plein air painter, Melinda runs the Teton Plein Air Painters group in Jackson, and won Best in show in the 2022 Plein Air Fest at the National Museum of Wildlife Art.

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Follow Melinda on Instagram at @mc.ackerman.art

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