Visual Artist and Creativity Enthusiast: James Malloy
By Celeste Roche | Correspondent at March 27, 2024 | 8:00 am | Print
The New Britain City Journal is currently running a series of articles introducing residents of the New Britain Artists’ Cooperative. This article is the fourth of the series.
James Francis Malloy IV, also known simply as “Jim,” is a visual artist regarded primarily for the intellectual challenge provided by his paintings. He works as a cook at Salute, but looks forward to moving into full-time creative work. He has been living in the New Britain Artists’ Cooperative since 2009.
Malloy says that he has always been a creative, but did not receive any formal training in the arts until leaving the military. He describes a classically troubled youth: adopted at a young age, held back in school, picked on a lot. He doesn’t seem to harbor any resentment, though.
“I was lucky to get out of my own way,” he says. “They didn’t know about ADD. I sat in the back of the room and didn’t talk.”
He found his happiness with nature, he says. “I was able to explore, and it has transformed: I see nature’s designs, from the subatomic to the galactic.” His current pursuit is a series of pieces tentatively titled “Lifeforms,” depicting biology from different angles.
Neighbor Sean Vivier describes Malloy’s work as simply “mind-bending,” while other residents call it “unique,” “deep,” “incredible,” “interesting” and “an unsolicited trip down the rabbit hole.”
Malloy hopes that his art will “help people open their minds, to look, see more, think, use their brains and senses,” and that “when people walk away from [his] work, they’re inspired, but they have also experienced something new.”
“I’ve been around and seen a lot, but Jim’s art really is foreign and has disturbed me in a good way,” says one neighbor. “The crazy part is that his current [Lifeforms] series depicts extremely mundane things, but it seems elevated or even sacred. I’m fortunate to have seen his work.”
Malloy, as a person, has been described by neighbors as “complicated” and “a real trip.”
“Most people see me as aloof and odd,” he says. “They don’t know how to deal with me.” He says that when people get a glimpse of his artwork, though, they often make more of an effort towards him. “I call it the Rudolph [the red-nosed reindeer] Effect.”
When asked what sort of setbacks and obstacles he has had as an artist, he gives a hearty laugh.
“Quite a few: physical, monetary, social. It’s been a rollercoaster,” he admits. But Malloy isn’t afraid of his challenges and uses them to fuel his creativity. “I like throwing all of my experiences into a soup in my brain and seeing what it boils into. I want to struggle through to an amazing conclusion.”
Malloy enjoys living in the Cooperative because of the space and time it has afforded him to pursue his artistic endeavors. Still, he foresees a challenge in getting individuals to mobilize their particular strengths for the group. He also wishes that they had access to the gallery on the first floor.
“I put time and money into that space,” Malloy says. He is wistful as he lists the various improvements he made to the gallery area, but isn’t resistant to the idea of the Cooperative pursuing other spaces.
