Image: Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, HA.com
Ed Mell’s Drifting Clouds at Sunset sold for $52,500 at Heritage Auctions American Art Signature Auction on May 16, 2025, in Dallas. A Phoenix native, Mell moved to study at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles as an advertising major, landing jobs at some of the finest advertising firms in New York City shortly after. His accounts included major brands such as Air France and Dockers. He was one of the first artists to use an innovative airbrush style for his projects.
A trip home to teach art classes inspired Mell to move back and pursue painting and sculpture, influenced by the natural beauty of the desert region, including its plains, mountain ranges and skylines. Whether painting the famous Cathedral Rock for a U.S. Postal Service stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of Arizona’s statehood or designing for the Arizona Opera, his artistic contributions to the state didn’t go unnoticed.
One of Mell’s other passions was automobiles, which he studied in art school. He contributed a car painting every year as a fundraiser for the Copperstate 100 car show in Arizona.
Some of our other favorites, from Heritage Auctions American Art Signature Auction on May 16, 2025 in Dallas, appear throughout the issue.
