Melissa Katzman Braggins

Melissa Katzman Braggins lives in Rhinebeck, NY and works in her studio Pondside Press. She is a Tamarind Master Printer and together with husband Ted founded Pondside Press as a collaborative printmaking studio in 1985. As printmakers they have worked with numerous artists at Pondside Press, Southwest Graphics, Master Editions and the ART/OMI international residency for 25 years.
At Rochester Institute of Technology, Melissa attended the College of Fine and Applied Art, (BFA) majoring in Painting with a minor in Printmaking. She later attended the Tamarind Institute (TMP) at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, and received a Master of Arts in Education from the College of New Rochelle, NY. Melissa has had many years of teaching, both in the Art Department at SUNY New Paltz, and the Wappingers School District. In addition, she has provided printmaking workshops at SUNY New Paltz, and Mt Holyoke College, and was invited as a guest artist at Syracuse University.
Melissa works in a variety of media including printmaking, painting, drawing, collage, paper-making and ceramics. Nature plays an important role in her work as well as the intricate emotions and relationships between people. She strives to connect to the elusive qualities of a moment in time and the chance to look closely at what surrounds us.
I believe that through my art making, teaching, and collaborating,” Melissa states, “I have created experiences that may have been impactful for others in a positive and formulative way.
Through my artwork, I try to capture a fleeting moment of time. I am struck by a variety of images that compel me to create. Nature plays an important role in what I want to portray together with the intricate emotions and relationships between people. The constant state of flux which is shared in both nature and in people make it important to embrace the intensity of the moment.
The juxtaposition of color, shape, texture, line, and detail provides me with a means to add richness and depth to my images. I enjoy working with formal aspects of art as well as the emotional complexity of ideas and feelings. It is exciting to have the freedom to explore and to combine different materials and processes.
The ceramics are an extension of the work I do in monotype, collage and paper. I like to use similar elements and enjoy the plasticity of the clay because it allows me to work three dimensionally. The ceramic wall sculptures incorporate my love for an organic approach and abstract elements. Forming the clay slabs provides a path to further explore layering, color and movement. I incorporate my hand drawn cut stencils, printmaking techniques and painting to create intuitively with the clay.
By working in a variety of media I am able to extend my visual language in new directions. Printmaking, painting, drawing, collage, papermaking and ceramics all present opportunities for creative processes. The pursuit of letting different means play a role in directing how I construct my work is both challenging and gratifying. It is a constant give and take between the original concepts and how the work develops. I would like my work to offer a way to connect to the elusive qualities of a moment and to provide a chance to look closely at what surrounds us.
Art Studio Views, a self-guided tour of artist studios 2011-2022
Closely Scene - Solo Show Tivoli Artists Gallery, 2022
Art Omi - Monotype Project, 1992 - 2017
Albert Shahinian Fine Art - One of a Kind, 2019
Ink, Paper & Ceramics - Solo Show, Tivoli Artists Gallery, 2019
Instagram: @pondsidepressstudio
Facebook: @pondsidepressworkshop
Website: pondsidepress.com
Email: pondsidepress@gmail.com