Melora Hardin

Melora Hardin is a multifaceted talent. She’s an award-winning actress, prominent in television, theater, and film productions. With a lengthy resume, Melora is, possibly, best known for her Iconic role as Jan Levinson in the Office, Trudy Monk on Monk, and her Emmy nominated role as Tammy in Transparent. In 2023, Melora won Best Actress at the Burbank International Film Festival for her performance in the first one woman film, Golden Vanity. She is a luminary in the world of entertainment, having graced both the big and small screens with her presence since she was six years old. As an actor, her performances are imbued with passion, depth and, humor.  Characteristics that also infuse her art.

Melora has always been a collage artist, but her collages became a more serious endeavor while she was making her most recent documentary film “Hunter’s Thunder” (working title). The story is a real-life tale of serendipity which leads to an unlikely, but deep and heartwarming friendship that explores the trauma of childhood sexual abuse and celebrates how women heal and hold one another up.

Melora Hardin is not just an artist; she is a storyteller and a master of her multidisciplinary crafts. Her collage artistry is a testament to her boundless creativity, exuberance for life and her ability to touch the human soul. Leaping from the screen to the canvas, and back again, is a testament to Melora’s diverse talents.

Her journey through the worlds of art and entertainment reflect her innate enthusiasm for storytelling which is the underlying impetus for all of her creative endeavors, no matter the medium.

As an artist, Melora builds rich worlds where we can play, in the timelessness of our own memories and emotions, and, also project our own stories onto the art.  Her pieces remind us of the power of art to awaken the senses and unite us in our shared human experiences.  With warmth and joy, Melora’s collages invite people to get closer to their own humanity and they inspire a deeper connection to ones self and to others.

Melora Hardin's art seamlessly blends classical elegance with contemporary flair, resulting in pieces that are both timeless and fresh.  Her compositions are a symphony of balance and harmony. In each work, you can discern her unwavering commitment to precision and beauty. Melora's creations are a harmonious fusion of thoughtfully chosen found elements, diamond dust and real gold, silver & copper, leaf, all of which are carefully curated and meticulously arranged to convey a powerful personal narrative.  With an artist's eye for detail and a storyteller's heart, She lovingly weaves photographs, clippings, and papers she finds into mesmerizing visual symphonies that resonate deeply with viewers. Her pieces are a window into her life experience, a collection of stories that traverse the spectrum of feelings.  Whether it's the delicate interplay of nostalgia and hope, the raw intensity of love and loss, or the whimsical dance of dreams and reality, Melora's art speaks to the heart. Each piece invites you to embark on a personal journey, sparking connections and igniting memories, transcending the boundaries of time and space. Her creations are as poetic, as they are fantastical, exploring the mysterious and the mystical, the landscape and the dreamscape. They are as spiritually evocative, as they are a celebration of the whimsy and wonder of life.

When Melora isn’t working on location somewhere making a movie or TV show, she lives in Los Angeles with her actor/writer husband, Gildart Jackson, and their two equally creative, daughters, Rory & Piper.  They also have an apartment in Montreal which has become Melora’s preferred artist studio.  Melora loves Montreal and draws great inspiration from the city.

Photograph by: Manfred Baumann