29 years young, Melissa Brunner (she/her) is a Deaf, Queer, and Disabled multidisciplinary visual artist. Born and raised in Guelph, Melissa's visual artistry explores the interplay of surrealism and moodiness with bright, vivid colours. She is known for her insightful watercolour portraits that capture subtle nuances in mood. Her hands intuitively reach for watercolour, but you can find her creating with acrylic + oil paints, polymer clay, embroidery, paper crafts, printmaking, and crochet. She also expresses herself musically by translating English lyrics into an ASL performance piece.

During Covid-19 in 2020, her commitment to her professional artistic practice began by painting commissioned watercolour portraits. In 2021, she was featured in an online collaborative exhibition titled “Deaf Interiors” alongside 5 Deaf artists from across Canada. In 2023, she participated in a local collaborative exhibition for emerging artists titled “Neophyte Club” with 12 local visual and musical artists. With grant funding awarded since 2022 by Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, and Guelph Arts Council, she underwent multiple transformative mentorships and completed several successful artistic endeavours, such as art mentorships, creative research, and collaborative works. In 2025, she co-performed ASL translations live in concert for artists like Sawyer Hill, We The Kings, Fefe Dobson, Avril Lavigne, and Yungblud.