Melissa Duillo-Gallo painted beautiful romance covers. She was born to paint and comes from a legendary family of artists. We’re highlighting her gorgeous artwork this week.
Artist: Melissa Duillo-Gallo
The Duillo family was filled with artistic talent. There was John Duillo, the great pulp cover artist. Of course, his wife, Elaine, was a pioneer for women in the field. She painted pulp covers and went on to become the “Queen of Romance Covers.” Did you know their daughter, Melissa Duillo-Gallo, was also a romance cover illustrator?
From the 1980s to the 1990s, Melissa Gallo (née Duillo) was a prolific historical romance cover artist, creating works for publishers such as Avon, Dell, Warner, Zebra, and more. While she and her mother no longer illustrate romance covers, Melissa is still creating art as a talented painter.
Melissa Gallo Paints is where you can get access to her current work. I also have a dedicated Pinterest page for her romance covers here.
For a long time, I used to get Elaine and Melissa’s artwork confused. Now I can spot the differences between mom’s and her daughter’s work.
For one thing, Melissa Duillo-Gallo preferred her cover models to wear more clothes, and also, she was more conservative with the use of eyeshadow, especially for the heroes!
Both Duillo ladies collaborated with supermodel Fabio many times.
The Covers
Here are some lovely romance covers for you to enjoy that Melissa Duillo-Gallo designed. These are our Covers of the Week for Monday, July 19, to Sunday, July 25,
Melissa Duillo-Gallo Book Titles
- Across a Starlit Sea, Rebecca Brandewyne, Warner Books, 1989
- My Gallant Enemy, Rexanne Becnel, Dell,1990
- Montana Moonfire, Carole Finch, Zebra,1990
- Bold Destiny, Jane Feather, Avon, 1990
Your Opinion
What do you think of this week’s theme of Melissa Duillo-Gallo romance covers? Do any of the covers stand out to you as a favorite?
Have a recommendation for a future Covers of the Week theme? Let us know, and we’ll try it out.
As always, please drop a comment, and let’s talk romance.
Thanks again, Jacqueline. Beautiful covers! You really know how to pick ’em!
Did you notice the castle in the background of the cover Melissa Gallo created for Roxanne Becnel’s “My Gallant Enemy”? That’s right. Eilean Donan again. Just like in the John Ennis cover you posted in your cover art article a week ago. Must be a pretty popular spot for torrid clinches!
Wow, how did you see that? That’s some crazy synchronicity coming from the universe or Eilean Donan is the Big Ben of castles.
Hmm. That did not sound right.