Melwell

YouTube video by Romancito House Media Smoke Music

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A close-up street-level view shows the lower half of a person wearing heavily worn black leather motorcycle chaps covered in colorful embroidered patches. The patches represent various bike rallies, clubs, and events, including multiple “Red River” emblems, skull motifs, and cross-shaped designs. The leather is scuffed and dusty, especially on the right leg, suggesting long rides and frequent use. The person is walking on a sidewalk with uneven stone steps and sparse grass nearby, holding folded papers in one hand. Around them, other people’s legs and footwear are visible—a person in jeans and sandals on the left, and someone in black pants and hiking shoes on the right—creating the feel of a busy outdoor event or festival.

I'm excited. I just ordered 10 copies of a 2026 calendar with images taken by my husband, an award-winning journalist, artist, and photographer, Rick Romancito. We're planning to give them away as holiday gifts.

Dippin’ into the Eighties The 1980s were an electric explosion of sound, style, and spectacle. It was the decade when music videos became as important as the songs themselves, thanks to MTV’s 1981 debut. Synthesizers and dr…

This evening at 6 p.m. EST on #clubhouse!!!!

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A two-panel humorous comparison image. On the left: A photo of an older woman with short white hair wearing large black over-ear headphones. Her eyes are closed and she has a peaceful, content expression, gently bobbing her hands as if enjoying music. Below her image is the caption: “HOW YOUNG PEOPLE SEE ME.” On the right: A brightly colored cartoon character resembling SpongeBob SquarePants, exaggerated and goofy. He has wide excited eyes, an open mouth as if cheering, and is holding a can of spray cheese. He’s wearing blue shorts with patch-like circles, a red tie, and has three googly eyes stacked on top of his head. His limbs are thin and bouncy, giving him an energetic, wild vibe. Below this panel is the caption: “HOW I SEE MYSELF.”

Meme for the aged

A vibrant, abstract landscape painting filled with bold, blocky shapes and rhythmic brushstrokes. The sky is a clear, saturated blue with soft, rounded cloud forms drifting along the horizon. Beneath them, rolling hills in muted tans and olives stretch across the scene. In the foreground, stylized trees and shrubs glow in warm autumn colors—bright golds, oranges, and deep reds—outlined in dark lines that give them a graphic, almost mosaic-like feel. The lower portion of the painting is a patchwork of greens and reds, with short, vertical strokes suggesting grasses or fields. The artist’s signature, “Melwell,” appears in red near the bottom left. The overall effect is joyful, lively, and full of movement, as if the landscape is humming with color.

"Mountain's Glory," oil on panel by Melwell, 16x20 – Call Parsons Gallery of the West at +1-575-737-9200

Small box filled with spices and dehydrated oranges with cedar shavings.

Stink box

homemade potpourri with cedar shavings, lavender, and orange peels.

Seasonal scents are in the air. I mixed up this blend yesterday. Dried orange slices, ginger essential oil, warm spices, and a handful of fragrant botanicals. The aroma alone feels like a hug. Citrusy, earthy, slightly sweet, and just a touch fiery. The kind of scent that makes a room feel alive.

Mantis When I began Mantis, I wasn’t sure whether I was painting a creature, a presence, or a state of mind. The image grew out of movement. Brushstrokes were layered over time, colors reacting to one ano…

And he's a brief write-up about the painting: melwellromancitofineart.com/2025/11/mant...

An abstract oil painting titled Mantis by Melwell Romancito. The composition is alive with layered, energetic brushwork in blue, green, yellow, red, and cream tones. At the center, an implied mantis-like form seems to emerge from the paint—angular and watchful—suggested by intersecting lines and a bright white highlight along the left edge that defines its shape. The textures are thick and tactile, with visible ridges and sweeping strokes that evoke both movement and stillness. Cool blues and greens dominate, while flashes of red and yellow add warmth and tension. The overall effect is meditative yet alert, as though the painting itself is breathing, poised in a moment of quiet transformation.

When I get my paintings completed for the seasonal shows, I sacrifice a canvas or two for process and for fun.

"Mantis," oil on canvas by Melwell, 14x11 - Call Parsons Gallery of the West at +1-575-737-9200

A black-and-white ink drawing shows a humorous smartphone screen viewed at an angle. The title at the top reads “THE SMARTEST ONE IN THE ROOM (THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE).” On the phone’s display, a grid of cartoon faces is labeled with names such as “THIS ONE,” “THAT ONE,” “THE OTHER ONE,” “NO ONE,” “SILLY SHARN,” “SERIOUS,” and “NOT ONE.” Above them, a group name reads “THE SUPER SMART CLUB: SMARTY PANTS.” Each simple, round face has a distinct expression—some happy, some blank, some frowning—evoking the whimsical tone of emoji or doodles. The phone itself has a smiling face drawn on its top edge, suggesting that even the device might be the self-proclaimed “smartest one.” The drawing blends gentle satire about intelligence and technology with a playful, minimalist line style.

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!!!!!!

#clubhouse

A stylized landscape painting featuring a hilly countryside under a pale, textured sky. In the foreground, two small white adobe-style houses with red roofs sit near a white fence, surrounded by soft green fields and curving dark-green hedgerows. To the left, a patch of green pasture contains a few simple black marks suggesting grazing animals. Behind the houses, a row of trees with bright red dots—possibly fruit or flowers—forms a natural boundary at the base of a large, rose-colored mesa dotted with dark circular shrubs or shadows. In the distance, faint blue hills and a thin strip of water meet the horizon. The artist’s signature, “Melwell,” appears in red in the bottom right corner. The overall composition has a rhythmic, abstracted quality, using curved lines and warm desert tones that evoke the gentle geometry of the New Mexico landscape.

"Sheltering Mesa," oil on panel by Melwell, 9x12 – Call Parsons Gallery of the West at +1-575-737-9200

A colorful, stylized landscape painting of a mountain valley by artist Melwell. The composition features bold, angular brushstrokes and rich, contrasting colors. In the background, layers of blue-green mountains rise under a pale sky, their ridgelines outlined with red accents. Below them lies a patchwork of farmland, divided by reddish fence lines. Small white houses peek through clusters of golden-yellow and green trees that line the middle ground. In the foreground, a green pasture with grazing white horses (or sheep) is framed by geometric patches of fields in shades of ochre, olive, and gold. The artist’s signature, “Melwell,” appears at the lower left corner. The painting conveys a warm, rhythmic sense of the New Mexico landscape, with a balance between abstraction and natural harmony.

"Taos Horse Pasture," oil on canvas by Melwell, 17x17 – Call Parsons Gallery of the West at +1-575-737-9200

yeet the yoke

Every time I open up LinkedIn, I see a new post about toxic bosses and workplaces, and I get re-traumatized from shit from 30 years ago (I'd name names but why?), and I wish I could let that shit go.

A colorful, semi-abstract landscape painting by Melwell Romancito showing a stylized orchard and village beneath gentle blue mountains. Rows of rounded green trees dotted with red fruit line the middle ground, while small white houses with red roofs peek through the foliage. Rolling yellow and lavender fields flow toward the viewer, bordered by curved lines and rhythmic red outlines that define hills, fences, and paths. On the right, clustered trees with thick green canopies stand against a pale sky streaked with red contour lines. The composition feels vibrant and dreamlike, evoking harmony between land, cultivation, and home.

"Orchard," oil on panel by Melwell, 8x10 – Call Parsons Gallery of the West at 1-575-737-9200

An expressive oil painting by Melwell depicting a vivid Southwestern desert landscape beneath a dynamic sky. Broad, painterly brushstrokes in cool blues and greens capture distant mountains under swirling white clouds that seem to dance across the sky. The foreground features sculpted hills in warm ochres and siennas, punctuated by clusters of rounded green desert shrubs illuminated with touches of yellow. The composition draws the eye inward along a winding path through the terrain, balancing earth and sky with rhythmic energy and movement. The artist’s signature, “Melwell,” appears in red near the lower left.

"Over the High Desert Trail," oil on canvas by Melwell, 24x18 – Call Parsons Gallery of the West at +1-575-737-9200

Know anyone you think might be going hungry? Don't ask, just do.

My favorite band just dropped new ones. BOK BOK BOKKOFF!

An expressive painting by Melwell Romancito shows a lively bar scene inside a cantina called “Pepita de Oro.” At the center, a woman in a bright blue dress gestures animatedly toward a man with a mustache wearing a white shirt, blue necktie, and dark pants, as if they are mid-argument or intense dance. The warm-toned room is filled with people — some seated at tables in conversation, others near the bar with colorful bottles lined on shelves behind them. A checkered floor and ceiling fans add depth and rhythm to the composition. The atmosphere feels charged with music, tension, and storytelling — capturing a “wild night” full of personality and emotion.

Have you ever danced with the Devil?

"(It Was a) Wild Night at La Pepita," oil on canvas by Melwell, 24x36 – Call Parsons Gallery of the West at +1-575-737-9200

An expressive oil painting by Melwell depicts a small adobe house with blue doors and windows set in a colorful New Mexico landscape. Two silhouetted figures stand near the doorway beneath golden autumn trees whose foliage glows against the earth-toned foreground of pinks, ochres, and greens. Behind the scene rise dark green hills and a dramatic sky streaked with swirling gray and white clouds, evoking an approaching storm. The composition is lively with bold outlines and rhythmic brushwork, capturing both the warmth of community and the shifting moods of the high desert.

"Vecinos," oil on panel by Melwell, 16x12 – Call Parsons Gallery of the West at +1-575-737-9200

Sachets

Bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, star anis, allspice, and cloves.

Beautiful textures and smells.

Here come the winter holidays.

An abstract painting dominated by cool blue tones, accented with vivid pops of yellow, orange, red, and green. The composition features overlapping circular and rectangular shapes that seem to float and interact across a pale blue background, evoking a sense of movement and buoyancy. Transparent, layered brushstrokes give depth and texture, with some forms outlined in soft greens or violets. The overall effect is playful yet contemplative—suggesting an arrangement of forms that might resemble flowers, bubbles, or an abundant tabletop seen through a dreamy, painterly lens. The artist’s signature, “Melwell,” appears faintly at the bottom left.

"Abundant Table," oil on canvas by Melwell, 20x16 – Call Parsons Gallery of the West at +1-575-737-9200

This painting is the November selected artwork for prints and other items, on demand from Printify.

Link in bio

Cant Stand The Moonlight Collaboration with singer-songwriter Daniel McBrearty.

How 'bout that Full Moon, aye?

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An abstract landscape painting depicts a golden valley bordered by turquoise mountains beneath a pale, cloud-streaked sky. Rounded yellow and orange hills form a rhythmic line across the middle ground, their warm tones edged with bold red outlines. Bright green rectangular shapes suggest clusters of trees or shrubs scattered among the hills. The foreground consists of ochre and tan fields divided by vivid red paths or furrows, adding a sense of structure and movement. The painter’s initials, “M,” appear in the lower right corner, anchoring the composition. The color palette radiates warmth and energy, blending expressionist and Southwestern influences.

"Autumn Valley," oil on panel by Melwell, 5x7 – Call Parsons Gallery of the West at +1-575-737-9200

An expressive landscape painting by Melwell depicts a stylized desert mesa beneath a vast, colorful sky. Dominating the scene is a towering purple cloud formation edged with glowing orange light, suggesting a storm or sunset. Broad horizontal bands of violet and lavender streak across the sky, echoing the mesa’s layered cliffs in the middle distance. The land below features curving tan paths and rounded green shrubs outlined in dark brown. The composition feels both geometric and fluid, with bold outlines and contrasting warm–cool tones creating a sense of rhythm and movement across the scene.

"Storm on the Mesa," oil on canvas by Melwell, 11x14 – Call Parsons Gallery of the West at +1-575-737-9200

A White plastic silverware drawer organizer filled with silverware, with one peppercorn masquerading as rodent poop.

Fun fact: I always keep one little peppercorn in my silverware drawer to keep me frosty.

IYKYK: mice

YouTube video by Romancito House Media Rawdog ADHD

If you're a woman of a certain age ... youtube.com/shorts/TQMwF...

Oh look.

Abstract ink and marker drawing featuring interconnected organic shapes outlined in fine black lines that weave and tangle like a neural web. Within the network, irregular rounded cells are filled with vivid colors—deep red, orange, and violet—distributed in loose clusters. The red and orange forms dominate the upper and central areas, while the lower region transitions into purples and magentas. The overall effect suggests a dynamic flow of energy or communication between cells, like a biological or cosmic network pulsing with color against a white textured background.

"Frank's Album Cover," markers on paper by Melwell, 12x9 – Call Parsons Gallery of the West at +1-575-737-9200

dried lavender flowers in a wooden bowl

I'm making sachets and potpourris for the holidays. Right now, at my desk, I have a sachet of lavender, cinnamon, clove, allspice, and cedar oil. I can't wait to get the cedar shavings I ordered, along with other aromatic herbs and spices. My office smells delicious.