The Fishers Arts Council (FAC) artist for the month of November is Jeremy Mallov – artist, teacher, parent, husband, and long-time appreciator of art. His exhibit is titled “Small Treasures” because his recent focus is painting beautiful things in small packages.
The exhibit is on display at the Art Gallery at City Hall located in the Fishers Municipal Center, 1 Municipal Drive, Monday, Nov. 4 through Dec. 2, excluding holidays, and can be viewed Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and at the Second Friday free public reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 8.
When Mallov began his college work at Indiana University, he intended to major in psychology. However, he says, “after sophomore year I got bitten bad by the art bug,” and a psychology degree was no longer his objective. He knew, though, that he would have to be able to earn a living, so he decided he would combine his love of art with a love of teaching art and became a licensed art education teacher. He has now been teaching art at Amy Beverland Elementary School in Lawrence Township for 21 years, after spending a half-year teaching at Carmel High School and a year at Belzer Middle school.
Mallov notes that as an artist, early in his career his paintings were inspired by the exotic locales where he had traveled. He created a series of paintings of Venetian canals and Israeli architecture and French and Spanish cityscapes. However, he notes that a lot has changed in his life as an artist. He says he has “four amazing daughters, ages 9 to 16, three cats, one dog, a whole series of foster cats, and our travels have now consisted of Disneyland and beaches” with his daughters and his wife, who is a writer and a lawyer.
Of November’s “Small Treasures” exhibit of his work, Mallov says, “Finding time to paint has become a challenge, and the source of my November art show is all about creating ‘small treasures’ in the time I have and finding inspiration where I can. I’ve found myself making smaller 8-by-10-inch paintings while sitting in the waiting room of a cheer studio or gymnastics studio and painting a picture of the absolutely gorgeous sunrise I saw one morning while at car drop-off duty at school. Or I’ll paint a picture of the view across a retention pond I noticed while taking a walk with my wife. I’ve learned to see the beauty in the small, the everyday. My newest paintings are like a short story, giving you a glimpse into my world, without telling you an entire novel. The paintings are not, however, without deeper meaning. As an art teacher, I spend about a third of class time presenting students with a work of art and having them analyze what deeper meaning the artist was trying to express about life.”
Mallov says that when he paints, he measures the success of each painting in terms of whether it accurately captures the feeling of what he was trying to create. He also says that when he’s teaching, he measures his success on whether he’s introduced his students to something meaningful to them in terms of art, and if he’s created a love of art in them. Just as he was “bitten bad by the art bug,” he hopes to share his enthusiasm for and appreciation of art in his students. He hopes that the “art bug” will “bite” them, too.
Please plan to attend FAC’s free all-ages monthly celebration from 6 to 8 p.m. on Second Friday, Nov. 8 at the Art Gallery at City Hall in Fishers. You’ll enjoy live music from JBJ Collective, art that highlights the small treasures of everyday life, refreshments, and FAC’s Focus on the Artist programming at 6:45 p.m. Board member Pat Grabill will interview Mallov in the Fishers Municipal Center Theater.
JBJ Collective’s performance is sponsored by a grant from the Fishers Arts + Culture Commission.
FAC will also be hold a Gallery Hop on Nov. 8 along with Noblesville Creates and Fishers Art Center. Visit the Meyer Najem 2nd Floor Gallery, 11787 Lantern Road, from 5 to 8 p.m., the FAC Hub Gallery, 11810 Technology Drive, and Art Gallery at City Hall, 1 Municipal Drive, from 6 to 8 p.m., and the Fishers Art Center from 6 to 9 p.m. Visit all four Fishers galleries on Nov. 8 and receive $25 off your artwork purchase that evening. This offer is limited to the first five individuals. Contact FAC with questions at info@fishersartscouncil.org
About Fishers Arts Council
Fishers Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization whose mission is to support, advocate, and cultivate visual and performing arts opportunities that educate and/or enhance the lives of those who live, work, and visit Fishers. Visit FAC’s brand-new gallery space inside Fishers Municipal Center at 1 Municipal Drive, Fishers. The organization also maintains the FAC Hub Gallery at the Collaboration Hub at Hamilton County Community Foundation, 11810 Technology Drive, Fishers. For more information, go to FishersArtsCouncil.org or call (317) 537-1670.