About Me

Firstly, Welcome to STUDIO XVII.

An artist's playground. A home for creativity. A work in progress

SO, WHO'S BEHIND ALL THIS?

Okay, let's kick things off with an enticing opener...

Hi, my name is Peter Parker, and I am your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.

If you fell for that, then that's on you. My picture is literally right there. Since I can't be an actor, I thought I'd try my luck with the writing. Sorry.

Anyways!

My name is Mellis B. Katayi, and depending on the vibe, you can call me Mel, UltraMel, Mellisa, Melo, MK, or Miko (I was a massive Super Strikers fan growing up, so don't ask too many questions).

Words are incredibly important and powerful, so allow me to introduce myself properly: I AM AN ARTIST!

Not a Picasso, Da Vinci or Basquiat (yet... let me dream), but an artist nonetheless. And a very unserious one at that.

For transparency purposes, I should probably also mention that I'm a nerd, a geek, a travel enthusiast who somehow happens to be a homebody, a part-time philosopher, a full-time daydreamer (depending on the day), and an all-round lover of life.

A bit of a mixed bag, really.

But my hope is that you'll get to see and experience a little bit of all that through the art I create.

SO, WHAT'S THE ART ALL ABOUT?

I have a simple philosophy when it comes to art: Sometimes, something is just beautiful and that's reason enough to appreciate it.

For me, art is about capturing something that catches your eye, sparks your curiosity or makes you want to take a second look.

It could be a familiar face, a sporting icon, a character you've grown up loving or simply something that makes you stop and appreciate the beauty of what's in front of you.

I want to create pieces that people are naturally drawn to. Pieces they'd love to have in their homes, hang on their walls, display in their spaces or perhaps use as a little conversation starter when someone comes visiting.

Not everything needs to be complicated. Sometimes, a piece of art just needs to make you smile, think or say, "I really like that!"

My work currently revolves around digital illustration and sketching, with cross-hatching being a style I've grown particularly fond of and adopted as something of a signature.

You'll find a little bit of everything here: people, celebrities, sporting figures, anime-inspired pieces and whatever else happens to catch my imagination.

I'm still experimenting, learning, discovering and pushing myself creatively. I don't intend to put myself in a box, and I'd rather let the art evolve as I do.

I am a work in progress, and so is my art.