About

Melissa Babcock Saylor is a native Oregonian. She has worked in the art field all her adult life. Her early career was in advertising and editorial art. Later she ran a small greeting card business. That lead to licensing her artwork for a variety of products. But now, her main focus is illustration. It’s what she set out to do many years ago.

Melissa lives in the beautiful Willamette valley with her husband Steve. Their two grown children and their spouses live nearby. She is especially close to her two grandsons, Phillip and Finnegan. When she isn’t hanging out with Phillip and Finn, she spends her days painting paper and creating colorful artwork. Melissa has also been known to make a quilt or two in her spare time. Melissa volunteers one day a week at her cities carousel as the lead painter, she also shows her personal artwork at a local gallery. She loves a good cup of tea with a cookie and taking Hazel and Martin her dogs for walks.

Melissa recovered from thyroid cancer in 2009. After going through a couple surgeries and follow up treatment she decided to give her full attention to children’s illustration. so, work begin in earnest to update her portfolio.

in 2013 Melissa attended an advanced illustration workshop with the Highlights Foundation. Having been primarily a watercolorist she found her true calling at that workshop in cut paper and collage. The instructors, after reviewing her watercolor portfolio instructed her to start over in cut paper. So, she did.

Melissa has illustrated five children’s books so far. Her latest books are Also an Animal by Lynn Parrish Sutton and I Love You Spacely also written by Sutton.. If you are interested in working with Melissa please contact her by email or by phone.