Pacific Northwest Pines by Mallery Jane
My next interview is with painter Mallery Jane, living and working in Chicago. Mallery's stunning landscapes verge on abstraction while referencing places she's visited across the United States. Inspired by the lush scenery of the Pacific Northwest, Mallery's pine tree paintings transport the viewer to a place of solitude and tranquility. In this interview, Mallery discusses her work as both an artist and educator, and shares her experiences hiking, camping, and exploring the great outdoors.
Hi Mallery! Tell me about your background and where your creative journey began.
I was always drawing as a kid and grew up as the kid in class everyone came to for their drawing needs! I went to Arizona State University for Art Education and was able to take a variety of art courses. To be honest, art has always come easy and I feel like I hindered myself because I didn't push myself until a few years ago. I believe natural talent is a small part of someone's success, maybe 10-30%. The 70-90% is really about working hard everyday and pushing yourself to learn and practice even when you don't feel creative. I've seen so much growth in my art in the last 2 years than what I had all through college.
Your landscape paintings evoke a sense of being at peace in nature. How have your experiences outdoors impacted your work?
As a kid I went camping with my family every summer and have always loved experiencing the seasons to the fullest. I love to ski in the winter and hike in the other seasons. In college hiking/camping was the cheapest activity for 8-15 people so most weekends I spent with friends in the mountains. When I'm in nature I always feel this weight off my shoulders.
When I came across your work, I immediately thought of the Pacific Northwest; overcast skies, luscious pine trees, and giant snow capped mountains. Is there a specific region that inspires your work?
I definitely have travelled a lot and take inspiration from lots of places but am tied more to the PNW! My favorite thing to paint/draw has always been pine trees, I'm obsessed!
While many of your paintings verge on abstraction, others depict the natural world in a more representational manner. What inspired your artistic style, and how has it developed over the years?
Oh man, this one is still an everyday adventure! I am still finding the balance every time I paint with being realistic vs abstract with my subject. I think in order to do an abstract landscape you have to first be able to do it realistic so you know what you can and cannot take away. My goal every time I paint has always been to try and leave the brush strokes very visible and intentional. I love seeing an individual brush stroke and knowing that specific brush stroke turned that blob into a tree.
Can you tell me about your process for creating a painting?
Depending on what medium I am working with it varies slightly, but for acrylic I will start with a thumbnail sketch in my sketchbook to get the composition and focus of the piece. Then I will layer gesso and usually orange on my canvas so I have a base layer. This helps for two different reasons, one if a little part shows through it isn't white, which is considered a highlight color, and two because when I do my highlights they will pop more from being on top of orange vs putting white on white. Than I will block in my landscape with a black made from a few different colors. After my landscape is blocked in I can start going through and defining my shapes with the actual colors on top.
Which artists have influenced your work?
I am always finding new artist that I love! Some of my all time favorites are, Randy Hayashi, Mike Svob, Chris Firger, Sarah Moore, Danika Ostrowski and Amanda Hawkins.
When did you join Instagram, and how has it impacted you as an artist?
I joined instagram back in December 2015 and my account was first used for an outdoor apparel company I owned with two other girls called Vinture Apparel. I worked on the graphic designs for the shirts and social media. We ended up closing the company in January 2018 and I officially switched the account to Mallery Jane in June of 2018. Instagram impacted my art in almost every way possible. It allowed me to be inspired by other artists, feel validated for the artwork I was posting, and realized people would pay for my artwork. If it wasn't for instagram I don't know if I would have ever thought being a full time artist was possible. I've been teaching art in the public schools for the last five years and am hoping to become a full time artist within the next year or two.
Follow Mallery on Instagram at: Malleryjaneart
Website: www.malleryjane.com