Malinda Lively
Artist Statement:
I am a native Californian and grew up in Lakewood, just southeast of Los Angeles. Four years ago my husband and I along with our parrot Professor Beakman, and tortoises Donnie and Charles moved to Serenbe. Our son Miles lives in Portland OR. I grew up in a family of farmers, entrepreneurs, artists, engineers and we designed, built, decorated, repaired and grew whatever we could ourselves. Not out of dire need but for the pleasure of knowing and using those skills. It was a personal relationship with our environment and with the things we ate and made. I am still that person and drawing and painting have always featured prominently. Early subjects were drawings and watercolors of horses, flowers, and birds. Although work and family have often claimed my time throughout the years, painting has always been there. Lately I paint in oils although I have worked in clay, leaded glass, watercolor, photography, mixed-media, collage, pastel, silverpoint, charcoal and many more. I am mostly self-taught but have had the benefit of a select few classically-trained mentors over time for guidance. Since I began teaching about 8 years ago, I have become more immersed in oil painting. I choose subjects that will further my technical skills and push my boundaries. Copying master paintings has provided a wealth of information on composition, drama and color but really “painting is all about understanding the basics and then practice, practice, practice.” In the last year I have focused exclusively on portraiture. I don’t think anything is quite so humbling or demanding as painting the likeness and personality of a human subject. Doing this makes me a better painter, increases my ability to see accurately, focus, build stamina and deepens my empathy towards those I am teaching.
Favorite masters include John Singer Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla, Alfred Munnings, N.C. Wyeth, Gerome, Bargue, Boldini, Anders Zorn, Manet, Monet, Thayer, Van Gogh, Odilon Redon, Hans Holbein, Franz Hals, Vermeer, Dean Cornwell, Berthe Morisot, George Romney, Xaver Winterhalter and so many more. They are my friends and advisors and I can sit down at any time for a lesson with any of them.
Teaching now occupies a great deal of my time and I have had the pleasure of establishing and managing the Paint Space Studio since 2019 which is a part of the Chatt Hill Artist Co-Op non-profit 501c3 that serves the Serenbe community and the greater Chattahoochee Hills and South Fulton communities.