“When things are clicking, you know, most paintings start out and you’re not sure about them. You don’t know where they are going to go, if they are going to be good or bad, but they start clicking and there is a certain point where, when it is happening, you are excited about it. I think that works. It’s a thing of life, you know. It’s an undefined little thing and it happens,” Ed Mell said in 2015.
Mell, a world-renowned artist and longtime Valley resident, died on Feb. 21, 2024, after a long illness. He was 81 years old.
I was lucky enough to meet Ed as a teenager when he, his brother Lee, and his longtime friend Bob Boze Bell would come into the restaurant my mom and aunt owned in Central Phoenix. They were hilarious, and it was always a treat when they’d come in, though admittedly, I was a bit in awe in those mid-’80s days.
There was something about Ed Mell that just oozed, at least to my limited perspective back then, confidence and success. I was already a fan of Bob Boze Bell because of his work in Phoenix New Times, but my mom told me that Ed was a great artist, too. When I saw his work, I was awestruck and understood what I was picking up on during our occasional conversations.
Over the years, my connection with Ed continued when he married the sister of one of my best friends. He and Rose Marie shared a beautiful life together, from my perspective, and it was good to see both of them so happy. Because of this connection, I was fortunate enough to get to know him as an adult, although my respect and admiration for his work never dimmed.
History may prove that Ed Mell was the greatest landscape artist of all time. For me, there’s no question about this, but I also know that Mell didn’t see himself this way. On our last visit, which was a few years ago at his home, he generously showed me some of his personal collection and gushed over the work he cherished.
It was an interesting tour, to say the least, to see a man with paintings and sculptures displayed all over the world. To hear him speak about where he got this piece or that one, you would never have known that his work was in the private collections of giant corporations, celebrities, opera stages and even on a U.S. Postal Service stamp.
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“Jack Knife,” a sculpture by Ed Mell, sits at the intersection of Main Street and Marshall Way in Old Town Scottsdale.
Lynn Trimble
Most of all, though, beyond his talent and accolades, Ed Mell was kind. He lived a full life and enjoyed the success he generated with his painting and sculpture, but he was also a family man and devoted friend. It was lovely to see this firsthand, and even though he could have easily made any conversation about him, it never felt that way at all.
In fact, the biggest smiles I saw on Ed were when he talked about Rose Marie and his son, Carson. Mell was very proud of Carson and during one interview we did in 2015 for another publication, he seemed to want to talk more about Carson’s work in television than his own work. This pride in his family was always evident and truly refreshing.
Ed Mell is survived by his wife, Rose Marie, and son, Carson, extended family and a host of friends and fans. He will be missed, undoubtedly, but the legacy he leaves us is one of beauty, thoughtfulness and love.
