+ ARTIST STATEMENT
the Truth Seeking Collection
collection of OIL PAINTINGS by woman, veteran, Wisconsin artist mel ohlinger (2010 - 2025)
Mel Ohlinger is a painter and illustrator from Neenah, Wisconsin. She works primarily in oil on canvas, creating landscapes and narrative pieces inspired by stories, symbolism, mythology, and literature. Her art explores fundamental human experiences of family dynamics, religion, politics, and our complex relationship with nature through the traditional artist themes of love and beauty.
Rooted in classical traditions, Mel blends familiar ideas from Western art with bold, colorful compositions. By using modern techniques, she connects past and present, making complex themes both approachable and visually striking. Her work feels both familiar and new, inviting viewers to reflect on deeper questions... or simply enjoy the imagery at face value, depending on what they’re ready for in the moment. Because this world is a heavy place and she doesn't want to add to someone's load if they can't carry anymore.
For Ohlinger, art is an act of scholarship. Drawing inspiration from the theories of art and beauty by Arthur Pontynen, she works to restore qualitative standards to the liberal and fine arts. Pontynen argued that cultural decline is tied to the loss of intellectual engagement with wisdom and beauty, replaced instead by an education system focused solely on practical or “useful” skills (learning for vocation only). As a result, society risks reducing art to surface aesthetics rather than treating it as an intellectual pursuit aimed at truth, wisdom, and ontological perfection. This shift, Pontynen argues, not only diminishes the arts but also contributes to a decline in kindness and culture itself. When wisdom is no longer valued, communities lose the ability to nurture deeper thought, compassion, and meaningful connection—making the world feel more hostile and fragmented.
Ohlinger responds to this challenge by creating art that bridges modern tastes with classical intellectual traditions. Her paintings aim to bring wisdom and beauty back into the cultural conversation, offering art as a way to make the world a kinder, wiser, and more beautiful place to live and she hopes that if she can inspire others to view the world this way that we could possibly prevent WWIII. To take her ideas and make them exist, Ohlinger's work often illustrates this dialogue between past and present. For example, in Sun Circles, she examines the idea of the circle as perfection through different philosophical and cultural perspectives: as a sacred shape to Buddhists, a symbol of eternity to Christians, a concept of balance in mathematics, and an emblem of modern abstraction. By exploring these layers, Ohlinger seeks to ask what is true and to continue her own lifelong search for meaning through art.
Ultimately the goal of her paintings is to engage with timeless questions, to rediscover beauty and wisdom, and to carry those values forward into everyday life without being too much of a cheeseball artist.
For permission to use or reproduce Ohlinger’s work, please contact us to make arrangements.
Mel Ohlinger is a multidisciplinary artist and owner of OhmCo, a marketing firm located in Neenah, Wisconsin.
A WORD FROM THE ARTIST
I’m Mel Ohlinger, the artist behind OhmCo
I’m Mel Ohlinger, the artist and nerd behind OhmCo Carwash Marketing.
One of the first questions I'm asked when people see my work is, "How long have you been painting?" My answer seems ridiculous and I hate saying it, but I started when I was eight. My first oil paint color was Sap Green. I did not know how to use it, much less clean it and I ruined my paintbrush, my canvas, and my clothes. I was determined to learn and added a Bob Ross painting kit to my Christmas wish list. Santa came through for me that year and Bob Ross was my first painting teacher. I watched that VHS tape religiously and hung on the happy painter's every word. Bob Ross wasn't my only teacher from PBS, I also loved the wisdom and knowledge of Sister Wendy. Listening to her describe a painting was like listening to a wonderful (or terrifying or super gross) story. She was a major highlight in my childhood. When I found out that Sister Wendy lived in a camper eating saltines to learn about painting, I made sure I always had a pack of crackers when I was painting. So thanks PBS!
I learned, I practiced, I painted, and I attended art classes when I could. I exhibited at my local fair annually. I went through a very embarrassing period of painting during puberty that included a lot of Dave Matthew's fire dancers and as a young adult, I was a talented artistically, but did not consider it a profession. I didn't have many options after high school so I went to my local recruiting office and a Navy recruiter offered me their wall to paint a mural on in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. My mural was HUGE, it turned out great, and I was offered to enlist as an E3 (instead of an E1) for my efforts. I took this opportunity and became a sailor for the next couple of years. During my time in the Navy, I travelled extensively in Europe and visited every art museum I could get to from the UK to Athens. I obtained a fairly decent art education that expanded on my knowledge from Bob Ross and Sister Wendy through museum tours and decided to go to college for Fine Art after I got out of the navy.
I completed this goal as a single mom and graduated with a BFA in Fine Art. It was extremely difficult. Even before I had gotten my degree I was working professionally as a self-taught graphic design and web designer because technology came easy to me. My art knowledge helped me tremendously in my career and taught me how to use the Socratic method in problem solving and I now own a carwash marketing agency called OhmCo.
I continue to work on art from my studio and continue to add to my Truth Seeking collection. Every year I try to start a new collection, but there's so much to learn that I keep adding to my original collection. Over the years some of these paintings have been lost and stolen, so not all of them are available for sale. In addition to my oil pianting collections, I've also been writing and illustrating children's books, but most of my days are dedicated to the car wash industry. If you're actually just looking for a website or car wash marketing and have stumbled onto the wrong website... you can find the OhmCo at the link below.
Cheers!