The human condition, in canvas and chords

There is a young girl on the shore. She clings to a huge, puffed-up blowfish and open umbrellas take flight behind her.

In “Little Red,” a child in a red-hooded coat rests her hand on the back of a wolf, and in “Rising Above,” a contemporary ballerina dances on the snout of a great white shark. “Henry” is a bear in a suit, and “Awkward” is a winged man navigating a unicycle through trees and bumpy terrain.

The paintings are all from the imagination of Melissa Carpenter, who joked that perhaps the images stem from consuming too much chocolate.

In all seriousness, Carpenter relays tragedies of the human condition in a humorous fashion or at least in a way that allows a viewer a personal moment of “I’ve been there,” dancing with the sharks or taming a wolf in a land of mist.

She uses acrylic paint on canvas-covered panels and has recently begun using oils, bringing forth dream-inspired characters. From her artist’s statement, she explains: “The paintings offer glimpses of the troupe of unusual characters that introduce themselves to me in dreams and flashes of inspiration throughout the day. They are caught in sketchbooks and scribbles, until the paradigm paradox turns and reaches a point where they are given life on canvases.”

Carpenter’s husband, Michael Carpenter, also relays his inspirations and views of the human condition through his medium of choice, music. “Creatively expressing yourself,” he said, “feeds the soul.”

Melissa Carpenter agreed. “I truly believe that if I didn’t paint, the creativity would reveal itself in other ways,” she said. “And if I was physically able to not allow that to happen, I would probably become mentally ill. A chance I’m not willing to take.”

Michael Carpenter is a “man and his guitar,” performing at area venues. He writes his own songs that are based on his daily trials. In one song he wonders “how we ever came to believe in acceptable collateral damage” and in another he shares his desire to be a man who “lives and breathes his music freely … looking for a glimpse beyond all the mundane.”

Together, but on their own paths, the Carpenters feed their souls daily and surround themselves with the things they love. Melissa Carpenter has a large easel in the kitchen and dries and displays her work on picture rails throughout their West Central Spokane home, and Michael Carpenter has his guitars and keyboard in the bedroom where he plays and records.

The couple have downsized over the past few years; a smaller home, one car and two scooters. Michael Carpenter has cut back hours at his day job and Melissa Carpenter stays at home, watching her grandkids four days a week. “Consumerism makes you put yourself away,” Michael Carpenter said, “It’s important to feed your soul, not your fashion.”

Michael Carpenter’s goal for the future is to continue to live out loud and Melissa Carpenter wants to “continue to learn and to hone my art; being able to translate my thoughts and ideas with greater technical skill. And hopefully people will continue to be able to relate to it, from one screw-up to another.”