My journey as an artist has afforded me the unique opportunity to visit many places and to meet many kinds of people. I have often been surprised at how accepting these people were to me as an immigrant, a stranger, to a new country. At the same time I saw their craving hunger for the arts and a deep need for beauty in their lives. My paintings are a way to break down barriers be it language or culture. The universality of art has been so evident throughout my artistic career. With this book, I want to return some of that goodness by helping inspire the children in the arts. The youth of this world are our future and to them I dedicate this book. A culture of a people is rooted in their arts but today a new generation is being uprooted from this as drugs and the distractions of technology take over their lives. So I want this book to inspire and invigorate the young people of this world to use their imaginations. Planet Earth is truly a beautiful place and so are its people. And so with this book new destinies will be forged and I will have done my part for generations to come. - George Petridis
About the Author: Melanie Stephenson - Petridis was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania. She has pursued artistic expressions since early childhood. Her father, a talented artist, and her mother, a trained artist, encouraged Melanie's artistic endeavors by supplying her with their own art tools and paints. They also hosted parties that included other artist friends who in turn gave encouragement and valuable critiques. One of Melanie's biggest inspiration and muse for painting and drawing was the horse. The horse is therefore often featured somewhere in her art if not as the main subject. Melanie has received many awards and recognition for her art and illustrations. The goal of her art is to bring a subject to life and tell a story. Melanie paints in a realistic - semi-impressionistic style. She is basically self-taught but inspired by others. Her formal education includes environmental geography and anthropology. She is a Naturalist. This education has helped Melanie use her art as an ambassador to the natural world by engaging people in Nature's beauty be it animal, plant or scenery. Her paintings feature equestrian scenes, wildlife and outdoor Nature scenes, and historical and architectural subjects. Melanie's most unusual art includes a montage of Russian scenes from before 1917. Of course, the Russian troika horse team was the main inspiration with the unique architecture and romantic fairy tale landscape completing the picture. The Russian themed paintings make for great storytelling. She is also very well-known for all things equestrian from formal horse portraits to foxhunting and thoroughbred racing scenes. Wildlife scenes and honoring her Native American heritage is also prominent in her work. Her artist husband, George Petridis, encouraged her to do fine art as a profession. Today, Melanie's work is found in many international collections and she continues to produce new and interesting art pieces. Melanie is also becoming well-known for her Nature photography. She uses the idea of telling a story and the fundamentals of painting techniques to turn wildlife photos into art. She hopes to continue a tradition of creating valuable masterpieces with universal appeal for all generations to appreciate - and to open Human eyes to see God's Great Creation.