“It’s really hard to describe what I do,” said abstract expressionist artist, Mallory Page.
“It’s really hard to describe what I do,” said abstract expressionist artist, Mallory Page. “It’s not something you can just put an elevator pitch to, it’s not a business kind of deal.”
Page made her first trip to Richmond on Wed. June 3, as part of her summer book signing and art tour at Quirk Gallery. Debuting her premier monographic venture, Page is partnering with The SoGood and will be signing copies of her four-year project entitled, “The Alchemy Never Starts or Never Stops,” while presenting pieces of work from her current show.
“It relates to the present, past, and future,” said Page on the title of her work, which is rooted in the history of New Orleans, the city that has had her heart since her move there in 2010.
“It’s an indescribable, undefined kind of energy that I think has been passed down through people that have passed through here.”
Page reflected on her use of the word alchemy by describing her ambivalent thoughts on the cyclical nature of life. “I’m not sure if life ever gets started or if it ever stops here,” she said. The term serves the dual purpose of representing the mystifying essence of what it is to be innately human, while also characterizing herself as an artist. Page is transformed from artist to alchemist through her work simply by “using the most basic elements to create something precious,” she said.
A collection of 40 paintings from five different bodies of work, Page’s monograph synthesizes the first four years of her journey moving to New Orleans. The pieces move somewhat chronologically, conveying “a range of growth, a range of mood, and a range of inspiration,” according to Page.
“It revolves around what is going on in life, so there are a lot of different aspects,” she commented on the progression of her book. “In general, the underlying themes are basic instincts about what’s going on in the world around me, and this membrane of how I absorb energy and the people surrounding me.”
According to Page, it’s this energy that feeds her monochromatic use of color.
“You’ll have this period of your life where this idea and this color kind of more or less comes through another person or a time, and it just sticks with you until you paint it,” she said.
She reflected on how the intricacies of everyday life influenced her work while simultaneously served as an outlet for her thoughts and feelings. “It’s as if you are less outside of the painting,” said Page. “You exist within it when you create it, but then when you are finished, a piece of you is left behind, but it’s no longer you.”
Inspiration transcends just present experience according to Page, saying “what inspires you as a child — your most natural inhibitions in your most natural uninhibited state — will continue to inspire you forever.” To the surprise of her mother, Page still remembers a “mommy and me” painting class she went to as a young girl.
“I loved the ocean, the stars, and anything nautical really,” she said. According to Page, this can be seen in her earlier work. “There are a handful of different references that I’m always thinking ‘gosh this is still in my work 32 years later.’”
“It’s always for everyone,” said Page on her intended audience. “I want everyone who wants to experience it to be able to experience it, I’d just prefer it be a personal experience rather than an online one.”
The desire to create an authentic yet controlled experience drew Page to the book form, befitting to her private nature.“The book helps to communicate everything I’ve wanted to communicate for a really long time but that I wouldn’t necessarily put online,” she added.
However, her work is not just for others. Page considers her work her own form of catharsis. She encourages others to find their artistic outlet tangibly, by breaking away from the modern trend of using a screen sometimes smaller than your hand to find inspiration, and physically go to a museum. “Find what you gravitate towards,” she concluded.
