Melissa Cox Ladd was born and raised in Amarillo, Texas. She went to high school at Amarillo High School. Leaving the Texas Panhandle in 1971, she lived in Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico, returning to Texas in 1980. Influenced by her artist mother, Margot Cox, she has studied painting, drawing, printmaking and photography. Photography was her primary focus from 1990 until 2008. She created a large series of photographs, narrative in nature with the subject matter of a woman in a bridal gown. Trainride is a collection of photos shot from 1995 – 2008. The various photos have shown in galleries in Texas and New Mexico. She also has printed a series of 5 prints in the series as photogravures, which are limited edition. In 2009 she dedicated herself to becoming a filmmaker, with the completion of her second short film, Leaving Bertram. She completed The Wars, another recent short film in 2012. She currently lives in Austin Texas.