Bonafide Art is the umbrella covering the work of artist Melissa McCarthy. It was created with the idea that art can be many things, and that works of art don't have to be extraordinarily large or outrageously expensive to be bonafide.



So, just who is Melissa McCarthy, and what makes her think that she can call herself a bonafide artist?

Frankly, I've been called many things, some of which would make my poor mother blush. But I've been creating work for a long time now, and friends and relatives alike are constantly excusing my behavior and/or manner of dress (not to mention hair color!) with the statement, "Well, you're an artist..." (the elipses imply the rest of the sentiment, usually unspoken, which is "..so what else could we expect?"). Personally, I find the excuse handy, and have been known to use it myself; how can so many of us be wrong?

I am a free-lance professional calligrapher, and invite you to visit my calligraphy page to see examples of that work. The small paintings, art by the square foot and ...and then some pages have examples of some of my other work in mixed media, and the Bonafide Bazaar features a changing variety of small works and oddities from the studio for sale.

Want more? I am an occasionally active Fluxus artist, and a musician. I play electric bass for "Lisa T. & the Rougettes", a women's blues trio, and am also a jazz vocalist. Laughter and whimsy figure prominently in my life, and I do indulge in the occasional vice (you want pictures, don't you?). I live and work in central New Hampshire, but love to travel (especially to cities for what a friend calls "urban nutrition") and I've never let distance be a factor in providing quality work for clients anywhere.

Enjoy!