Mel NealeMel (Mary Ellen) Neale was an art major in college and taught art in public schools in Virginia, primarily at the secondary level. After leaving teaching, she and her husband Tom cruised aboard a 47 ft motorsailer full-time on the east coast and in te Bahamas with their two young daughters. They home-schooled the girls (K-12) aboard the boat, while cruising around 5,000 miles a year. They now live on land in Lancaster County, Virginia. Mel has painted since childhood. While cruising, she painted local scenery as well as numerous commissioned paintings of yachts, homes, islands and other scenes, mostly in acrylics and watercolor. She is also a photographer and illustrator for boating publications. Mel is a member and exhibiting artist of the Rappahannock Art League (RAL) Art Center, a member of the St. Augustine Art Association, Mid-Atlantic Pastel Society, Pastel Society of North Carolina, the American Impressionist Society, and a signature member of the Virginia Watercolor Society. She has recently been juried into the Pastel Society of America as an Associate Member. Read More Read Less