Meet Malia Quinn | Painter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Malia Quinn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Malia, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Since I was about 18, the idea to have my own art gallery began churning in my mind. To me that seemed like the most meaningful pursuit and career path. But I went to school for commercial art, raised a son, traveled a bit, and painted when I had time. Around 2007, I noticed a trend in painting realism to emerge again. When I had gone to art school in the nineties, realism was not encouraged in the classroom. So in between my graphic design projects, I took plein air workshops from top level painters to enhance my skills.

From my first plein air (French for painting outside) adventure, I was hooked and knew this was how I would be gathering material/ideas for paintings. For me, nothing compares to going out in nature to study the natural color and landscape that this world provides. I feel that the earth is continuously putting on a show, waiting to be captured and interpreted. I moved to Colorado in 2012 to began painting landscapes. Colorado provides essential and never-ending inspiration for plein air painters. I spent some years in Fort Collins before finally settling near the Louisville area near Boulder. All in all, I spent 9 years in Colorado honing my skills.

During the pandemic, I decided it was time to look for a coastal location in order to paint the sea. I came across an artist residency program on South Padre Island – and haven’t looked back. After my residency, the city provided me with much help in opening my own gallery here. They are hungry for the arts down here in the Rio Grande Valley as well as the island of South Padre directly.

Through my gallery, Quinn Gallery, which is set up as also my working studio, I show the work of five other artists and offer plein air instruction on the beach which is a block away. The gallery itself is on Padre Blvd which is the main strip – it’s a perfect location. On slow days or when it’s particularly stunning out, I’ll grab my painting gear and walk to the beach to paint. As a popular tourist destination, South Padre Island offers the most beautiful beaches in Texas with a lively nightlife.

I opened the gallery this spring (2022), so it’s all new and I’m learning how to operate a storefront business. Besides an occasional excursion to Colorado now and then, this will be my main place to create the bulk of my life’s work – and I’m constantly pushing myself to create paintings that resonate. Working in oils, I enjoy creating expressive pieces that have an integration of abstraction and emotion.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The hardest thing I ever did was to show my paintings to the public. And today I meet so many people who paint but say they’ll never show their paintings. They’re afraid of rejection. The feeling of risking rejection is something I’ve had to embrace. Once you choose to “fail your way to success” – doors seem to open up. It’s all about making mistakes, the path of the fool, the hero’s journey etc.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Colorado has the best breweries and bike paths. I like the bike path along the Poudre River in Fort Collins and also the highway 36 path along the freeway starting in Broomfield to Boulder with the view of the Rockies. My favorite brewery is Odd 13 in Louisville. Others are Cerebral Brewing in Denver and Zwei Bruder in Fort Collins.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
PAAC (pleinairartistscolorado.com) are a great place to meet up with artists who paint outdoors. I joined the Boulder group. Also, the Art Business Incubator on South Padre Island where I completed my art residency.

Website: maliaquinn.com

Instagram: mquinn.art

Facebook: quinngallery.spi

Image Credits
Images by Abneyville