…AND THE LIVIN’ IS EASY
WATERCOLORS BY ALLISON MALETZ
july 31 - August 23 ARTIST TALK: AUGUST 22, 4-6pm
The most recent series of watercolor paintings by Allison Maletz serves to celebrate our community in Sullivan County, New York. This season, especially in summer, we all emerge from our cooler climate dens, we walk the roads, meet at the farmers market, and take the kids out for pizza or burgers. We observe the local wildlife that hid away when there was nothing to eat, finally they too reemerge even if it’s to eat the fruit and flowers from our landscapes. The thriving wild ecosystem is always in motion. A plethora of native flora and fauna, along with its pests and invasive species, complete our gardens, public spaces, and conversations. We utilize the local waterways for recreation, fishing, and their accessibility and beauty. We celebrate and curse it all in tandem. But it’s true that there is something special about the Catskills in summer, that’s why the summer camps and the Borsht Belt have been so prolific.
These life-sized paintings reveal people, creatures, vegetation, food, and tools on display, mid narrative, against a bleak backdrop. Maletz’ style teeters on the edge of botanical observations whilst embracing all the nuances and possibilities of watercolor. These paintings are her effort to convey gratitude — to this beautiful season, this place, the land, the creatures and community — through all its complexities.
Allison Maletz is a contemporary mixed media artist. She received her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in Photography and her MFA at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London in Fine Art Media. While she has worked extensively as a photographer and sound installation artist, watercolor is her true medium. Maletz is currently living and working between Barryville and New York City.
She is a Professor of Drawing at Northeastern University. She also teaches extensive Continuing Education in Watercolor and Drawing classes online through the 92nd St YMCA, Brooklyn Botanical Garden, and Lessonface. She has 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. Her first New York City solo show Together was at the Christopher Henry Gallery in 2013. Since then she has 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. When she is not painting or teaching, she is swimming with her 9-year-old son and trying to grow everything from vegetables to houseplants.