We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Allison Maletz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Allison, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I’ve known since I was a child that I would be an artist. It was one of the few things I succeeded at – in all facets. There were so many other subjects in school that were challenges, but excelling at art was easy for me. Once I graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, it became apparent that making a living was going to be tricky. Many people and businesses don’t value Art in the same way that they value other commodities. Art is a want, not a need. So I found a job printing in an analog dark room, which was great because it paid the bills, gave me some creativity, connected me to other photographers and artists, and ultimately allowed me to use their facilities to make my own work. I learned quickly that I needed to put in hours outside of work in order to keep creating my own artwork. Soon I was able to freelance, getting travel photography gigs, and showing my art in group shows and Chelsea Manhattan.

Now, so many years later, I have struck a balance between creating my own paintings for shows, taking on painting commissions, and teaching painting and drawing- all of which, I thoroughly enjoy. Combined, it pays the bills reliably. I certainly have good years and bad years. Becoming a mother added an additional challenge because my schedule was no longer my own and my obligations pulled away from the process of making the art that was never meant to be directly monetized. It’s always a juggle- but I regret none of it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a contemporary mixed media artist. I received my BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in Photography and my MFA at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London in Fine Art Media. While I had worked extensively as a photographer and sound installation artist, watercolor is my true medium. I make paintings of representational things: flora, fauna, people, places and foods. Sometimes the objects are isolated, sometimes they exist in a scene or environment. I use decorative patterns at times to reinforce particular themes in the work.

I’ve exhibited in the Liverpool Biennial, New Contemporaries UK, Zoo Art Italy, The Royal Watercolor Society in London, and the Moscow Biennale for Young Artists at the MMoMA. My first New York City solo show Together was at the Christopher Henry Gallery in 2013. Since then I have exhibited at Calico Brooklyn, the National Arts Club, the Denny Gallery, Fresh Window, NURTUREart, The Ugly Art Room, the Florence Griswold Museum and The Delaware Valley Arts Alliance.

I have learned a lot from exhibiting with galleries, and it’s a beautiful experience being recognized by a larger organization, with the support, promotion and new patrons they bring. It has also been incredibly fruitful working independently, sometimes bypassing the glory of having an exhibition and working directly with patrons. It’s not as publicly ego affirming – but I’ve been in countless group shows where nothing sells. It may not come with the fan fair, but when I sell paintings I’ve made independently, and take commissions of all sorts – portraits, animals, botanicals and I even just finished a painting of a home. There is nothing more affirming than that, especially as an artist. Art is tricky to sell and price, because what I make isn’t for everyone and it’s not a necessity (until someone who can afford it falls in love with it).

Coupled tightly with my art career is that I teach Drawing, Watercolor and Illustration at Colleges and Continuing Education, both in-person and online. It’s amazing how intertwined these two branches of my career have grown. Each supports the other. Because I teach technique, it has influenced my crisp accurate style of rendering. Because I teach, many of my students commission paintings, because they, more than anyone, are my audience. They admire and want to learn how to use my medium, it’s become a completely symbiotic relationship. Also, making art can be a very quiet experience, while teaching exposes everything. When I teach I make mistakes- that I then show students how to fix, I vocalize so much. Yet when I paint for myself there is no one but me and my instincts. I develop close connections with my students, show them what I’m working on, experiment and learn with them. Everything informs everything else! Not to mention, the teaching absolutely provides financial security in a career that can fluctuate wildly from year to year.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I am not painting or teaching, I am a full-time mother of an elementary school aged child. I had major reservations about becoming a parent because my career as an artist wasn’t where I wanted it to be at the time. I delayed and delayed, because I knew I would be the primary parent- because I’m the woman, because I’m not the primary earner, because my income is less predictable, etc, etc. I was terrified to take on this extra responsibility – for my career and business – on top of all the other physical unknowns about pregnancy, childbirth and recovery that all mother’s encounter. When the time came to become a parent, I was petrified that the artist portion of my career would die – something I knew I could not survive. It is so hard to prioritize making something passionately that there is no guarantee I will sell. Especially when I know I need to make school lunches, doctors appointments, early school pick ups, sick days, homework help and on and on. And yes, other people do it every day. But many of those people have a budget for a nanny that is less than what they make. And they have family that can step in daily. I got some help, but I knew my number one necessity had shifted from Artist to Mother. That was hard and the process was devastating to reckon with for me. It wasn’t a surprise, it was honestly everything I knew would happen. Covid with a toddler drove that home devastatingly further and prolonged the post-partum purgatory and hiatus from art making so much longer. And it took several years for me and for us as a little family to find the balance between my identities and the value in both. It helps with each year that my child grows more independent. And like all parents, I want to slow down time and speed it up so that I can hurry up and get to where I’m going. I am incredibly grateful to my partner every time I get a commission or a solo show that requires countless hours of art making time, time that requires more dad time and less mom time. This struggle may seem mundane to some and callous to those desiring to be parents and struggling to get there. For me, holding onto my art making through these big shifts in responsibility were incredibly challenging and reaffirming. And I am reminded that each struggle with art and parenthood is an absolute blessing and I take none of it for granted.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I was very fortunate to have been curated into shows in Chelsea NY in my early 20’s in the early 2000’s – when Chelsea was IT. They weren’t the big invincible galleries, but they validated my brand, sold some work and helped me build a name when I had come from nowhere with no connections. I was exceedingly grateful, humble and tried to absorb all the gallerists had to offer. Very quickly I saw their opinions about where I needed to go next with my career and subject-matter and style deviated from my own convictions. In retrospect, those gallerists were men, double my age, and they saw me as young and malleable and weak. I eventually started to adjust my trajectory away from this type of environment (which felt like a backslide at first). Post grad school I started working more with independent curators and collectives. Showing in smaller cities, galleries, non-profits, and less conventional and less commercial venues. I found this incredibly rewarding. I suddenly felt like I was supporting them as much as they supported me. There was an equality that hasn’t been present before. That’s a beautiful thing about aging into your career and morphing from “emerging artist” into “mid-career artist”. The goal became less about commercialism and so so much more fulfilling, and eventually did lead to more sales in what felt like a more genuine process. 

As a side note, I used to be a lot funnier when I taught early on. I’m not as humorous anymore. I don’t get as many laughs from my students. I think that over time I found I had so much more wisdom to impart than simply getting laughs. Also, just because people aren’t continuously laughing, doesn’t mean they aren’t continuously having fun!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.allisonmaletz.com
• Instagram: @allisonmaletz
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-maletz-37932385/
• Youtube: @allisonmaletz1042

Image Credits
Joshua Kim & Allison Maletz