The Artist: Mahal Gutierrez

Mahal was born in Fayetteville, NC. They are a figurative oil painter whose work explores themes of childhood, grief, and stoicism often through large-scale compositions. They completed their Bachelor’s in Studio Art at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. They use expressive brushwork and saturated colors to confront the viewer with her subject. Her notable exhibitions, including I Bet on Losing Dogs and Last Call, which reflect on vulnerability, loss, and parental relationships. Gutierrez has exhibited their paintings in galleries such as Fried Fruit Gallery and the CAB Gallery. She has also been featured in Atlantis Magazine and received multiple awards, including the Anne Sherman Skiba Undergraduate Research Scholarship.

Artist Statement

“I am a figure painter working in themes of neglect, disappointment and stoicism experienced during childhood. I paint the often-overlooked, unsettling moments that appear normal at first glance but are pierced by elements like a figurative gaze breaking through the fourth wall or a visceral red color palette.

Writing is a big part of my creative process, and I often pull content from my personal journals as the starting point for a new painting. This introspective approach helps me delve into the subconscious and reflect on my intentions. Thumbnail sketches become scientific diagrams and serve as blueprints for my. paintings. This process separates me from an experience I can view as an onlooker, rather than getting wrapped up in emotions. I can instead focus on line, color, and rhythm. Scale lifts these mundane moments to the importance of historical paintings. This scale creates a level of intimacy and demands attention from the viewer.

Each painting is a narrative from a single parent household, groveling to be noticed by a parental figure, and the complex and often harsh realities. My work aims to confront viewers with these uncomfortable truths, offering a space for reflection on the tension between perceived normalcy and underlying discomfort.”