Melissa Speaks Out

Melissa has decided to share her feelings of childhood trauma and how the atonement has been applied in her life through this series of paintings and poem that she wrote.

The pain I feel is with inside
It pulls me and slows me down to shame again
Oh how I wish to purge this out
And rid myself of this trap

I can’t believe he still calls me to Come Unto Him
I have such a heavy burden and struggle that I hold and carry deep within
Does he know and understand that he’s the only one
That extends his hands with love and care

Can I trust? Do I trust his love?
That he will catch me once again

Oh how I have tried and tried to offer a broken heart
To a man who caught me with his hands of care
I feel his hands and his heart can I trust that the healing will start
I give my will with my heart to my Father I shall not depart

I lay at His feet my fears, defeats and doubts
And trust to take his hand to the promised land

Oh what joy there is to have in a Brother that will lend his hand
Whom divinely sent to do His Father’s will
To succor the heart of men To Follow Him

Where pain and struggle had once resigned
Is now flushed and washed aside
With the love and peace that is offered only by He

He the Father, He the Son, He the Holy Ghost whom guide my life once again

With this I devote to return to my Father’s presence again
To open my heart and trust again
To serve and love as He has done for me
To pass this on to all that need
By stretching out with our reach and share the love the Lord has to preach

Atonement and Devotion
by Melissa Lloyd

Melissa, more than words.

Melissa Lloyd uses more than just words to communicate. Like many artists Melissa communicates through her artwork. One thing I love about Melissa is her passion for art and her ease at portraying her thoughts to others through art.

Melissa's love for art started at a young age. She loved finger painting in the first grade. Art classes always came easy for her. She always understood her art teachers and hated other subjects like Math and English.

Melissa loves painting and sculpting. She looks for the medium that speaks best for the subject she is ready to portray. She says sometimes it's easier to paint and other time to sculpt. Melissa started sculpting with wire in 2006. She started by using old wire coat hangers. Her first two were a foot and a human skeleton. What drew her to wire sculpting was re-using, being resourceful, making, creating and reproducing. She enjoys working and thinking at the same time.

She enjoys sculpting trees because they have a lot of personal relevance. The grounding of life, root system growth, strong, a support to others, and enrichment to life. As far as plans for the future she hopes to go far with wire and make it more than a hobby. She stated, "painting is a therapeutic journey for myself. It brings me comfort and helps resolve things. I hope to one day share that with people." Melissa is also drawn to industrial design. She'd like to bridge the gap between art and functionality. When asked what she would like to say to her fans she said, "I have fans?" and then went on to say, "follow your creative ideas and see where they take you. It's not as highly recognized as the academic world but it has a lot of personal development qualities."