Melinda Hurst Frye

Melinda Hurst Frye photographically celebrates the ecology of Cascadia while bearing witness to the ecological science and cycles of the understory of the Pacific Northwest, often at ground level and below. 

As an artist, she digs deep into the earth to witness and capture visual evidence of the natural cycles of growth, decay, and regeneration through her unconventional photographic process. She intentionally slows down her own seeing by primarily working with a flatbed scanner as a camera, both in the field and in the studio, to allow for the space and time to connect with the protagonists and assemblages of her surroundings and the forest floor. 

Hurst Frye’s field work bridges the poetry of art with biological sciences and reveals the similarities of this undergrowth to the life cycles of humanity, and to the philosophical life cycle of the cosmos.​ Her work has been featured in publications for both art and science, varied exhibitions, and institutional collections. She holds an MFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design, teaches regularly in the Seattle area, and is represented by J. Rinehart Gallery.

Watch Melinda in action in this episode from Cascade PBS Art by Northwest.