Mel Ristau's works include drawings, prints, paintings and kinetic sculpture. He holds an MFA degree from the University of Kansas where he also taught.

Ristau, who is originally from Lafayette, LA, moved from Dallas, TX, to Fort Collins, CO, in early 2002 to pursue his lifelong art interests. Prior to that, he was a successful product designer. He is the creator of Tickelopes®, a patented envelope created with colorful foam graphics, and also co-developed The Learning Station, a robotics environment used by middle and high school students across the U.S. to enhance problem solving, teamwork and systems thinking skills.

Most recently Ristau has been showing his playful side with the design and fabrication of two monumental sculptures that hang in new, north Dallas elementary schools. (A portion of the scale model for Air Garden 1.7 is visible in the photo above.)

	"Air Garden 1.7" 2003  -Stainless, Aluminum, Polycarbonate   53'x16'x11'
	"Air Garden 3.1" 2004  -Wood, Stainless, Polycarbonate   72"x30"x30"
	"Spinner 2" 2004  -Aluminum, Stainless   8'x11"x11"
	"Thelesé" 2004  -Stainless, Glass   9.5'x6'x2'
	"See No Evil"  -Paper/Pigmented Ink on Satine   1'x17"
	"Day Dreaming"  -Paper/Pigmented Ink on Satine   18"x12"
	"Spinner 2b" Installation  -HMC Architects, Ontario, CA  12' x 15' x 15'  stainless, aluminum, acrylic lacquer  2007