ALTON - Jennifer Mallory has rediscovered joy.
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Mallory is the Artist of the Month at Milton Schoolhouse this month, and she is eager to display her work and share that joy with the community. Painting brightly-colored items and images that bring her happiness has helped her manage depression and burnout. In all her art, she hopes to “find joy, spread love, instill hope.”
“Painting always gets me out of my head,” she said. “It’s like magic. It just makes me feel better. I pick subject matter that is uplifting and cheerful for me.”
Mallory served as an art teacher for 25 years. She loved it for 20 years, and then the demands of parenthood and teaching together began to take a toll. Eventually, she made the decision to leave her job and try to find that passion for art that had once guided her.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Mallory did was paint. She found a new style: uplifting, bright colors and subject matter that began to pull her out of the funk and into the next chapter of her life.
Nowadays, she chooses subjects that make her smile, whether that’s flowers she spotted on a walk or the bicycle that she rides in her neighborhood. She compares her paintings to those done by Georgia O’Keefe, who painted “really large” flowers because she wanted people to stop and notice them. When Mallory paints, she notices things she never saw before.
Other people have started to pay attention, too. Not only do her paintings inspire her, but they resonate with others.
“I like to use different perspectives and bright colors,” she explained. “When they see my work, they’re like, ‘Wow, it’s really bright and cheery,’ or it reminds them of a childhood memory. And it just helps people have a sense of joy or hope or just happiness.”
In the past few years, Mallory has started to show her artwork in galleries, art fairs and competitions. She has loved connecting with the community in this way. It reminds her of the art fairs she attended with her mother as a child.
“I’ve been doing that for about three years, and it’s the most fun that I’ve had in a long time,” she said. “Brings me a lot of happiness.”
Currently located in Jacksonville, Mallory is in the process of moving closer to St. Louis. She is eager to engage with the artist community that exists in the Riverbend region.
“I’d like to get more involved with some of the art scene that’s going on in Alton, Edwardsville, over in St. Louis, all that,” she added. “Alton’s just a really fun, quirky, cool place, I think. I just want to be involved more in what’s going on there.”
You can view Mallory's work at Milton Schoolhouse through the month of March. Her work will also be on display at the inaugural Alton Art Expo on March 29 and 30, 2025, at Milton.
For more information on Jennifer Mallory and her work, you can visit her official website at JMWOriginals.com or check out her Facebook page and Instagram profile.
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