Paul Mellender was born in Fallon, Nevada in 1971. He was born into an artistic family. His mother, Helen, is a fine artist and his father, Skip, is a photographer and musician. Mr. Mellender began obsessively drawing at an early age, roughly the age of three.
 By the age of 8 he had agressively undertaken the study of anatomy, a study he still pursues. At the same age he had his first one man show, followed by two others at ages 11 and 13.
He declined to pursue a formal art education disliking the regimentation, restrictions in styles , and in many cases low standards in regard to quality evident in some educational venues.
In his early twenties Mr. Mellender made the decision to ignore the art industry and devote himself to various forms of study along side art including history, philosophy, and mythology.
Mr. Mellender has won several awards, including honorable mention in the ARC 2006 international salon for an imaginative work.  The only artist to have ever placed for an imaginative work.