Melanie Damore shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Melanie, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
For me, losing track of time, and finding myself again, always happens in nature. Exploring new trails, discovering hidden views, or spending quiet moments on the water resets my mind in a way nothing else can. The challenge of a good hike, the rhythm of my footsteps, and the anticipation of what the landscape will present.
And that’s exactly why nature inspires nearly all of my paintings. After about twenty minutes at the easel, the “real world” falls away. I get pulled back into the colors, the movement, and the memories of the place that inspired the piece. Hours can pass without me noticing.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Melanie Damore, a Colorado-based artist, adventurer, and the founder of Denver Art Days. I create colorful, dramatic landscape paintings inspired by the places I hike, especially the mountains, water, and wildflowers that have shaped my memories from the Great Lakes to the Rockies. My work is all about capturing the wild, imperfect essence of each unique landscape and the emotional rush of being fully immersed in nature.
What makes my brand unique is the way my art is tied directly to lived experience. Every painting begins on a trail, in my moment of awe, or during an adventure that challenged or changed me. I love pushing color, bending perspective, and exaggerating clouds and light to express the euphoria I feel outdoors, and to help others feel it too.
As a former Art Teacher, I’m committed to building community through creativity. Through my business, Denver Art Days, I provide beginner-friendly workshops in drawing, painting, weaving, ceramics, and more. My mission is to make art accessible to everyone, regardless of experience or budget, while creating spaces where people can learn, connect, and explore their own creativity.
Recently, I’ve been working on a series of Colorado landscapes, public murals, and a variety of hands-on workshops designed to help people discover the joy of making art. My hope is always the same: to inspire others to slow down, look closely, and fall in love with the world around them.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
Growing up, I believed I couldn’t. I grew up hearing that art was a hobby, not a career and that I needed a “real job”, a predictable life, and a plan that fit neatly into other people’s expectations. I was taught that as a woman, my role was to serve others, and that my body wasn’t as capable or strong as the taller, more athletic men around me.
But moving to Colorado in my 20s changed everything. I quit my “normal” job, started hiking big mountains with a ton of other capable, crusher women, learned to rock climb, figured out how to change my own brakes and rotors, and taught myself every skill I once thought was out of reach. With every new challenge, I love to prove myself wrong in the best way.
Now I know it’s possible to do anything I choose. I design my own life, my future, and my freedom, and I take pride in rewriting the beliefs that once held me back.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering teaches us so much. It’s made me appreciate those “normal,” uneventful days that are so easy to overlook—the days I wake up with mobility, health, community, and comfort. Hard days give more meaning to the easy ones.
Pushing through a difficult hike or a 14er often brings up old negative self-talk, those childhood beliefs of inability that linger in the back of my mind. On the trail, I have to actively remind myself that I am capable, strong, athletic, and able to endure. And when I reach the summit, there’s no better feeling than proving those thoughts wrong.
Living through serious physical injuries taught me to cherish my health and mobility in a way I never did before. Facing tough chapters of mental health taught me how to find gratitude even in the dark moments, how to reach out for help, and how to learn from the people around me.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
Absolutely. Anyone who knows me will tell you I wear almost everything on my sleeve. I can be blunt, emotional, overly excited, energized, and deeply passionate. I love connecting with people, and part of that comes from being real and willing to be vulnerable. Authenticity is how I build meaningful relationships, in my art and in my everyday life.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say that I helped them see the beauty in the world, and in themselves, because of my art. Whether someone looks at one of my paintings and thinks, “I never realized snow could be that color,” or they take one of my classes and suddenly notice the beauty of clouds or the subtle colors in the landscape around them, I want my work to help people appreciate the little things right in front of them.
I also hope people say I helped them find their own creativity and confidence, helping them believe that they are capable, talented, and stronger than they thought. I want my journey to inspire others to leave the soul sucking jobs that drain them, invest in themselves, and build lives that feel meaningful.
And especially for women, I want to be a reminder that gender does not dictate ability; anyone can change rotors, hike big mountains, take up space, start a business, and absolutely crush it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.MelanieDamore.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melanieday_art/
- Other: https://www.DenverArtDays.com
Image Credits
AVAL Media | Avory Allmond
