Melissa Brice Shea is a New York City based artist, with a BFA in Fine Art from Cornell University.  She currently works as a studio assistant for a contemporary American artist, after working in the publishing industry for five years.  Art making is her creative outlet.  Having always been an avid traveler, she made it a point to visit a new country every year.  During these yearly trips, she began to appreciate what it means to have a special places associated with fond memories.  

From this appreciation, her map paintings were created.  Melissa paints different countries, regions, and cities for friends, family and the Etsy community.  For each person, the maps are symbols of places with special meanings and memories.  Not only have the maps been painted and printed as art in the home, but they have also been printed for various wedding related materials such as save the date cards, wedding guest ‘books’ and weekend welcome packets and itineraries.