THE STORY OF SOJOURN ARTIST

Born and raised in various regions of California, Melanie Sojourner-Truth Atesalp graduated from San Diego State University, School of Art & Design with a Bachelors in Fine Art and Painting. She closed out her final semester by designing the university's large scale mural for the Healing Gardens on the coms building.

 

Leading a team of Painters in the mural's implementation, the artist facilitated a discussion on healing and indigenous symbolism between historians and the art department.

Melanie is part indigenous from The Jalisco region of Mexico, and has adopted her middle name as her primary artist moniker, "Sojourner" to embrace her androgenous and eclectic identity.

 

She gains much of her artistic inspiration from dreams, poetry, mythology, solace in nature, and her extensive international travels. Drawing from the bank of personal experience to render her imaginative musings. You will find many of her layered concepts riveting with humor, metaphor, introspection, anthropomorphism, and character.

 

A prolific painter, she has designed several public artworks for businesses throughout California, focusing on nature/ metaphor for her inspiration. As a live painter, she has made artwork for events spanning from Lightening in a Bottle to Burning Man.

 

Some of her clients include San Diego State, The Do Lab, Distinction Gallery, Ataraxia Aleworks,  La Jolla Arcade Building, Ocean Beach Main Street Association, Unknown Showroom, The Template (Ocean Beach), Vervor Shop, Umbrella Ship, Maya Moon, Same Same But Different festival, Lightning in a Bottle, Pirate Pandas, Soul-Tribe Sanctuary, World Beat Center, Church of Music (COM), Youtopia, Co-lab maker-space, Wisdome Los Angeles, Whalebone Vineyard (Paso Robles) and many more.