Sun-Kissed Laughter

Meli Axford is a painter based in Northern NSW whose figurative paintings explore themes of safety, belonging, and visibility for women and girls. Before becoming an artist, she spent more than two decades working in technology and product design.

Meli's creative practice emerged alongside a profound period of personal growth. After years of struggling with anxiety, emotional reactivity, and patterns she did not fully understand, Meli began exploring neuroscience, emotional regulation, and personal development. Through painting, she discovered a powerful way to access and understand her inner world. Art became a tool for self-discovery.

Today, Meli's work reflects a belief that people can change, heal, and create lives that better align with who they truly are.

Follow Meli on Instagram, Facebook and check out her website.

This work captures a playful moment just before a light-hearted race begins. Mia leans forward in anticipation, preparing to race Polo across the pool. 

My work constructs environments where girls are safe, valued, and able to fully take up space. Here the figures are rendered with realism and care, because they are real and perfect as they are. The landscape moves toward abstraction because we don't live in that world - yet!