Rick Mallette

Drawing drives all my work. The line is essential, whether brushed, marked, or sprayed. It's both a way to manage boredom and redirect a penchant for overthinking. I work quickly with no preconceptions, searching for surprises in the medium, formal and metaphorical, often referencing the human head and figure. My imagery originates in the caricature of my youth, namely cartoons, comics, 60s album art, psychedelic posters, Mad magazine, Dr. Seuss and hot rod culture. "Emotional Caricature" is a way to think of it. Whereas conventional caricature exaggerates dominant facial features to capture a likeness, I distort features to conjure a unique inner mood or emotion.