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Melissa Paints

@melissavandiver.bsky.social

1.3K followers 1.4K following 6.8K posts

Melissa Vandiver (she/her), artist & illustrator in New Orleans. Board member New Orleans Women and Children's Shelter. Noted loudmouth. Follow my art account for art and less loudmouth: @mvandiverart.bsky.social https://linktr.ee/mvandiverart

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Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 20d

Would love it if y'all followed my art page and shared my posts from there!

Melissa Vandiver Art @mvandiverart.bsky.social · 21d

Here's a thread of the art I spend most of my time on: themed pet portraits. They are all commissions, and I love collaborating with pet weirdos to portray these lil guys. I have done around 250 of these and they are each different. If you ever wonder what I'm working on, it's probably one of these.

Painting of a cat in an astronaut's space suit, standing on the moon, with an American flag and dark space behind. Pet portrait by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver..#petportraits #art #neworleans #cats #cat #catsky #catsofbluesky #space #moon

Painting of a furry black, white, and brown dog, wearing a giraffe costume, on a black and white giraffe print background. Pet portrait by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver.#petportraits #art #neworleans #dogs #dog #dogsky #dogsofbluesky #giraffe #giraffes

Painting of a brown dog in the crow's nest of an old-fashioned ship, with another mast and crow's nest in the distance behind. Background is blue sea and sky. Pet portrait by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #petportraits #art #neworleans #dogs #dog #dogsky #dogsofbluesky

Painting of a furry white dog in a leather jacket, against a background of a brick wall with graffiti. Pet portrait by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver.. #petportraits #art #neworleans #dogs #dog #dogsky #dogsofbluesky

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Reposted by Melissa Paints

Karl (sad trombone noise enthusiast) @brainnotonyet.bsky.social · 1h

If you live in a major metropolitan area, your local police are already working with the feds to surveil you and target you as a threat to federal agencies and the fascists they work with.

Local police and their federal counterpart are surveilling you at this moment because local police are maga.

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Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 27m

Maybe I'm the weird one but I try on shoes for fit and feel, not look. I can tell by looking at them if they look good

TechCrunch @techcrunch.com · 1h

To virtually try on a pair of shoes, users need to tap on any product listing on Google, select the "try it on" button and then add a full length photo themselves.

Google's virtual try-on shopping tool expands to more countries, now lets you try on shoes | TechCrunch

To virtually try on a pair of shoes, users need to tap on any product listing on Google, select the "try it on" button and then add a full length photo themselves.

techcrunch.com

Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 29m

I would literally rather someone break into my house and steal all my art than this

Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 29m

If you ever wondered if your art was valuable, the people who are stealing it for profit sure think so

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

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Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 36m

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Reposted by Melissa Paints

Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 5h

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

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Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 54m

They made it worse?? It's already so bad for that!

Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 1h

You know what maybe they wouldn't indict a ham sandwich

Seth Stern @sethstern.bsky.social · 12h

A federal grand jury declined to indict two people charged with assaulting law enforcement agents outside a suburban Chicago ICE facility, an attorney for one of the defendants said, Megan Crepeau and @benjaminpenn.bsky.social report

news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Grand Jury Declines to Indict Two Chicago-Area ICE Protesters

A federal grand jury declined to indict two people charged with assaulting law enforcement agents outside a suburban Chicago ICE facility, an attorney for one of the defendants said.

news.bloomberglaw.com

Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 9h

To be fair he's senile and thinks this only happened like 20 years ago

CNN @cnn.com · 15h

The Trump administration has ordered FBI employees in Washington, DC, to immediately search their workstations and digital media for any records pertaining to the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, a law enforcement source told CNN.

FBI employees ordered to immediately search for records related to Amelia Earhart, source says | CNN Politics

www.cnn.com

Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 9h

Same! Just like DO NOT care

Reposted by Melissa Paints

Melanie D’Arrigo @darrigomelanie.bsky.social · 16h

I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.

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Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 9h

I think depriving them of their propaganda footage is a really really good idea

GHOULLIKEHELLMACHINE @golikehellmachine.com · 11h

lmao, kristi noem wanted a black bloc fight and got an inflatable rave instead. fuck you DHS, rip city forever.

Courtney Vaughn @courtneyvaughn.bsky.social · 12h

Streets are still closed off in front of the Portland ICE facility at 8:30pm. Protesters have gathered on a side street. Dance party in progress.

Reposted by Melissa Paints

Lynn Gazis-Sax @empressnorton.bsky.social · 11h

I think Saul Alinsky would approve. From Rules for Radicals:
5. "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon. There is no defense. It is almost impossible to counterattack ridicule. Also it infuriates the opposition, who then react to your advantage."
6. "A good tactic is one your people enjoy."

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Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 11h

This is a REAL strategy! I will keep posting about the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army until morale improves!! beautifultrouble.org/toolbox/tool...

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Reposted by Melissa Paints

Tyler, from the Internet @tylerfromtheinternet.com · 11h

As predicted, some of them are going to start pretending they were never like this

No more "owning the libs": Ramaswamy pushes sharp break for GOP

Ohio gubernatorial candidate sees "fork in the road" for conservatives and wants Republicans to be less confrontational.

search.app

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Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 11h

My dad always leaves voicemails that sound like someone died, "Melissa this is your father please call me as soon as you can" then I do and he's like "hey sup"

Gabe Ortíz @tusk81.bsky.social · 11h

DON’T SCARE US LIKE THIS, FREIDA www.wsmv.com/2025/10/08/i...

‘I didn’t mean to scare anyone’: Dolly Parton’s sister says after asking for prayers

Dolly postponed her first Las Vegas residency in more than 30 years late last month, saying she was dealing with health challenges.

www.wsmv.com

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Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 11h

I'm kind of sour on Schumer no matter what he does but I appreciate the effort to show some emotion and hope less awkward/fake Dems take their lead from him that they can and should throw a fit

Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 13h

Screenshot of a tweet by Basil, username @linkofsunshine that says People on twitter will really be like "you believe in voting? that pales in effectiveness to my strategy, firebombing a Walmart" and then not firebomb a Walmart

Reposted by Melissa Paints

Maple Treeway @smartsmears.bsky.social · 13h

Saw that “you say you’d die for me but would you wash the dishes without asking” post today and it applies here. Side eye people boiling down activism to one big gesture that would probably never come up in their lives as opposed to putting in the work over a long period of time

Laura Jedeed @laurajedeed.bsky.social · 14h

Just heard someone say that if you aren't willing to get arrested or die at a protest you aren't serious about the cause and that's a) not true and b) not helpful

You don't need to have a death wish to fight for a better world, and anyone who says you do is throwing up a massive red flag

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Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 13h

It sucks but we all need to get this through our heads now - I am not about to watch the next election cycle(s) go by with Dems shrugging as the GOP illegally holds onto power. You know they will. You don't have to be like them, several years behind the rest of us in knowing what the GOP is about.

Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 13h

They intend to keep power forever. They will cheat, lie, and use brute force to keep it. I'm not shaken to my core by this because I've known it since January 7th, 2021. It's time to face that reality. Their intentions here are the same as they have been since then, and our directives are too.

Andrea Junker @strandjunker.com · 20h

You can joke about Pam Bondi’s ridiculous unprofessionalism all you want, but I’m deeply shocked by it: She acts as if she fears absolutely no consequences, convinced that there will be no more political power transfers. — This should shake everyone to their core.

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Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 13h

LMAO

Jorge Escalante @escalante.bsky.social · 14h

Absolutely dying at this tiny ass Po-Boy from the revived Emeril’s in The NY Times www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/d...

Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 13h

Seems like some Senators have woken up today!

Senator Patty Murray @murray.senate.gov · 20h

The scenes out of Chicago should outrage us all. These federal agents are out of control, committing senseless acts of violence & putting everyone at risk.

American citizens are being detained & brutalized.

This kind of immigration "enforcement" shouldn't be acceptable to anyone.

Immigration agents become increasingly aggressive in Chicago

Activists, residents and elected leaders say increasingly combative tactics used by federal immigration agents are sparking violence and fueling neighborhood tensions in the nation’s third-largest cit...

www.pbs.org

Melissa Paints @melissavandiver.bsky.social · 14h

I bet your house needs some color

Melissa Vandiver Art @mvandiverart.bsky.social · 15h

I also do pet portraits in a style closer to my illustration style: splashy watercolors. I love color and using it to represent not-colorful things. People who commission these are not interested in something "realistic" as much as they want something fun and eye-popping. Here are a few examples.

Colorful watercolor painting of a striped cat. The cat is depicted in mostly oranges and purples, and splatters and drips in the background are every color of the rainbow. Pet portrait by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver . #petportraits #art #neworleans #cats #cat #catsky #catsofbluesky

Colorful watercolor painting of a dog. The dog is depicted in mostly oranges and purples, and splatters and drips in the background are every color of the rainbow. Pet portrait by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #petportraits #art #neworleans #dogs #dog #dogsky #dogsofbluesky

Colorful watercolor painting of a dog. The dog is depicted in mostly oranges and blues, and splatters and drips in the background are greens and purples. Pet portrait by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #petportraits #art #neworleans #dogs #dog #dogsky #dogsofbluesky

Colorful watercolor painting of a dog. The dog is depicted in mostly purples, and splatters and drips in the background are blues and greens. Pet portrait by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #petportraits #art #neworleans #dogs #dog #dogsky #dogsofbluesky

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Reposted by Melissa Paints

Gwen Snyder is undead @gwensnyder.bsky.social · 15h

The fact that the agents were laughing while they did it says to me that they have way way overreached with their mass recruitment and incitement of ICE agents here.

They have not remotely done the propagandic footwork needed to make shooting a collared Christian cleric palatable to the public.

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