Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary O’Malley.
Mary, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’ve been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. I don’t recall ever wanting to be anything but an artist. When I was a child, I was painfully shy, so I would draw pictures and show them to people rather than talk-art became my way of communicating with the world, and I suppose it still is. When it came time for college, there was no other choice but art school. I attended Massachusetts College of Art and Design and graduated in 1997 with a BFA in Painting. About six years later, I enrolled in the MFA program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Being in New York so up close to the art world was eye-opening and an incredible learning experience, but also demystified the art world in some ways, giving me the confidence to put my work out in the world and begin showing. Being an artist is not always an easy life, but I’m so grateful for all the experiences I’ve had, places I’ve been, and people I’ve met through pursuing art, that I might not have had if I’d chosen a more conventional life/career.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I create hybrid drawing/paintings on paper using gouache and metallic gold ink. My work is characterized by intricate detail and a labor-intensive process that becomes a meditative experience for both myself and the viewer. Most recently I’ve been exploring the theme of gardens, in particular pollinating species, from hummingbirds to moths, bees to beetles, as well as other beneficial insects and the plants they pollinate. I’m inspired by the natural world, but also by decorative art styles such as art nouveau, where nature has been stylized and contained.
Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
I think a big challenge for any artist is finding a way to keep yourself afloat financially while still having time to do your work. I don’t subscribe to the myth of the starving artist, I think in order to freely create your work, you have to have some sense of security and not be worrying about paying bills or putting food on the table. The good thing is there’s no one way to do this, and artists have always found ways to carve out a life for themselves, whether it’s through multiple sources of income such as teaching, selling work, commercial work, or with a day job. This ties in to the other challenge of being an artist, which is finding time: time is one thing I never have enough of, and it’s more precious to me than any amount of money!
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My work can be seen at 13 Forest Gallery in Arlington, MA. I will have some work in their Pop-Up show this August in Provincetown, MA.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.maryomalleyart.com
- Email: maryomalleyart@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/maryomalleyart
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/maryomalleyart
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/maryomalleyart
- Other: www.etsy.com/shop/maryomalleyart
Image Credit:
The Pollinators #4: Open Bloom with Bees; The Pollinators #3: Hummingbird with Red and Pink Flowers; Pollinator Mandala #3; Pollinator Mandala #1; The Pollinators #1: Butterfly and Sunflower; The Pollinators #2: Emperor Moth and Wildflowers; Spring Garden; Summer Garden,
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