indian hill gallery

Rick Mallette was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan. He studied art at Western Michigan University (BFA 1990) and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (MFA 1994) before moving to Cincinnati in 2002, where he continues to call home.

 

Rick is a visual artist that uses traditional 2D media (painting and drawing) on walls, paper, canvas, wood, photomurals, postcards and vinyl. In recent years he’s explored options in digital media, creating illustrations, GIF animations and virtual reality environments.

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Mallette works quickly with no preconceptions, searching for surprises in the medium, formally and metaphorically, often referencing the human head and figure. His imagery originates in the caricature of his youth, namely cartoons, comics, album art, Mad magazine, Dr. Suess and hot rod culture.

 

In this exhibition, Rick exclusively uses acrylic paint applied with brushes, markers and spray cans, building upon and increasing the breadth of his visual vocabulary.

Whereas traditional caricature exaggerates dominant facial features to capture a likeness, Mallette abstracts facial features to capture a unique inner mood or emotion.