Melissa Bixby

Tide pool photography

Melissa Bixby was born and raised in Soldotna, Alaska. Her fascination with sea creatures began, as a child, with trips to the beach and tidal pools in places where nature was nearly untouched and awe inspiring, such as Alaska’s China Poot Bay, Cook Inlet and Seward.

After earning her Masters in Fine Arts in Sculpture from the University of Idaho, she moved to Port Townsend where she still lives and where she began to reacquaint herself with the art of Batik. Melissa’s creative expression is brought to life through abstract, simplified, and vibrant depictions of some of her favorite ocean dwelling creatures.

With the use of large sweeping strokes, bright blended colors and defining textures, she shares her vision of not only majestic sea life, but all of our natural world from which she draws inspiration.

To help take her work to the next level Melissa has recently taken up open water swimming, free diving and tide pool photography. Connecting to our unique ecosystem in such a direct way has brought her more recent works to life and she’s excited to explore the depth of color, texture and incredible critters she comes across during her adventures.