Artist Mikki Mallow does a little bit of everything on top of being an interior designer. Photography by Julia Cartwright.
Some artists like to paint. Others sculpt, design or curate. For Mikki Mallow, it’s a little bit of everything.
Mallow graduated from the Art Institute of Dallas with a degree in interior design. After getting her degree, her first internship was designing the interior of luxury planes at Dallas’ Associated Air Center.
“I wanted to narrow it down to interior design,” Mallow says.
But she was designing during the day and painting at night.
Mallow’s artistic range continued to develop, eventually landing her solo showcases for her work. When tasked with a one-woman show, she leaned on her design background to create concepts for her installations. She’s held showcases at the Beeman Hotel and the Fairmont in downtown Dallas.
“I can build a whole show around a phrase,” she says. “It’ll be something I can’t get out of my head, and I have so many ideas that I need to execute them somehow.”
Her style tends to interpolate celebrities and pop culture references into creations, combining symbols the viewer is used to seeing in a manner they’ve never seen before.
“Even if it’s not a pop culture meaning or theme, it can turn into it,” she says. “I never thought I’d be a pop artist, but I think I’m just a colorful person and I have to have color in my surroundings, whether it’s my fashion or my dwelling.”
Her artistic nucleus presents all aspects of her work, such as a painting of Gwen Stefani with colorful gumballs spelling out “POP” in the background. Behind that is a miniature model of the Dallas skyline with portraits of male celebrities painted on the sides of the buildings, titled “The Men In My Life.” Between it all, Mallow’s house holds a healthy amount of glasswork art.
“I’ve been doing glass work for 25 years,” she says. “It started when I needed gifts for my friends, and I knew I couldn’t just keep giving them paintings. I can’t be a one-hit wonder.”
Mallow’s glass art features bold, vibrant colors that seem to be dripping off the cup or canvas. She’s made it somewhat of a calling card, alternating her paint on either side of the glass to create a 3D-esque presentation.
As Mallow progresses, her focus has shifted onto creating usable, sustainable art, whether it be in glasswork or furniture by commission.
“It ties in everything I’ve done so far,” she says.
Mallow’s next showcase is at the Discovery District Arts Fest at the AT&T Discovery District on April 15.
