Decades younger than fellow artists at the Orange County Art Guild (OCAG), freshman Eli Melet is ahead of his time, and it shows through his art.
“I started when I was maybe about two or three, and, ever since then, it just stuck,” Melet said.
Melet saves broken egg shells before they reach the Elmo’s Diner dumpster and uses them to create art.
Genetics Magazine showcased one of Melet’s painting on their August 2017 cover, and one of his five-panel paintings was commissioned this summer at a local jewelry store.
Wentworth & Sloan, a locally -owned jewelry store in University Place, holds Melet’s business cards at the main desk.
Employees at Wentworth & Sloan say that customers are often intrigued by Melet’s art, and his cards are in high demand.
The OCAG is a non-profit organization seeking to increase the visibility and recognition of artists and its craftsmen.
“Eli had his first private exhibit at the coffee shop Joe Van Gogh of Chapel Hill when he was 11 and sold multiple pieces,” OCAG stated in a press release about Melet.
“This inspired him to invest more time refining his style, and to develop a website to promote his paintings.”
In April, Eli established his art business as a proprietorship with the state of North Carolina.
Melet will be showcasing over 40 of his paintings in early November at the Open Studio Tour, one of the largest open studio events in the Carolinas hosted by the FRANK Gallery, a local non-profit art gallery on the University of North Carolina campus.
