Melissa Herrington's abstract series “Under the Spell of the Rose Moon” explores the complexities of transformation, literally and metaphorically, through the female form. Each work functions as both an individual entity and as a part of a larger theme. Herrington explores spontaneous, marks and subtle forms through abstraction. Recurring figural motifs repeat throughout the paintings, acting as a sort of visual vocabulary. Painted gestures are used to compose the picture as the whole.    Layers are fundamental to her imagery and process, infusing each work with multiple surfaces. Loosely sketched female forms blend into blushing pinks, whites and grays, contrasted by whole abstracted fields, as colors exhale forth an intimate narrative. At the heart of Herrington's artistic practice is an unmistakable relationship between distilled color and form. She is painting women’s stories one layer at a time.

Standing before a singular canvas in this series, one is immediately drawn in by a strong and powerful presence. In these new works, there is a feeling that the susurrus of the "Rose Moon” is mysteriously pulling the contoured figurative shapes to the surface from a sea of the abstract. Similar to a ghost moving across a landscape, this unfinished fluidity represents an unfolding of new possibilities, allowing the viewer to experience a feeling of wonder.

Marking her 4th gallery Solo Exhibition at Soren Christensen, Herrington’s sense of femininity continues to reign throughout these new paintings. Her abstracted work, the idea of identity, and her feminist language remain prevalent. Like the “Rose Moon” keeping her course while gently influencing, Herrington's paintings once again seek to cast us under her spell.