Alice MC (Alice Malloy-Chang) uses her brush to highlight the spirit of the creatures that surround us. Based in Southern California, Alice has built an artistic practice around painting portraits of animals. Through a signature style that balances photorealism with a minimalist aesthetic, she captures their truest essence.

Her early work was deeply inspired by her time in Japan, spanning the first 15 years of her life. She was influenced by the culture, art, but especially the ocean. She began depicting the sea in naturalistic paintings that explored the magnificence of each of the ocean’s creatures. Once in the United States, her work began to transform. She began drawing inspiration from her life. Alice and her family had adopted rescue dogs, providing them with a safe and loving new home. She recognized the immense personalities each of these animals possessed and decided to channel their innocence and fun-loving spirit into her art. Just as her companions have inspired her, uplifted her, and supported her in the darkest of days, Alice aims to share her experiences with her viewers. Today, Alice has become well-known for her expressive paintings of dogs that allow each of their unique personalities to be seen.

Alice developed a distinctive manner of painting that combines reductionism with a gestural brushstroke. While her work has experimented with mixed media and various methods of painting, her preferred medium is acrylic. Her soft realistic method is balanced with splatters and streaks of paint exposing the artist’s hand to add texture and dimension to each piece. As she approaches each subject, she emphasizes close-up perspectives that focus the viewer’s attention. In doing so, each work encapsulates a singular intimate moment in the life of the animal. These details become apparent as you gaze into the eyes of her subjects, each evoking a different set of emotions. To further emphasize each animal, her approach to composition relies on clean and understated design. Her work balances negative space, simplistic backgrounds, and limited color palettes. Together, the work remains uncluttered and centered on the emotions and experiences she wants to reveal.

For Alice, painting becomes a meditative act. With each brushstroke, she finds a sense of calm and clarity. In this state she is able to express the vibrance of life in every movement of her brush. As her practice moves forward and evolves she explores the intricacies of the internal spirit into a visual form that inspires all those who witness her work.

Follow Alice and her dogs on Instagram @artbyalicemc, TikTok @alicemcart or on Facebook at @Art​ ByAliceMC.

2021.09

Art By Alice MC Instagram Feed: @artbyalicemc