Artist Biography
Mallory Cash, b. 1988
Who is Mallory Cash?
Mallory Cash is an Impressionist painter whose work is deeply inspired by her hikes and adventures in the great outdoors. Using color to evoke emotion, energetic brushstrokes to create movement, and separated marks that form a stained-glass-like texture, she builds vibrant, modern landscapes that celebrate nature’s rhythm and light. Unlike traditional oil painters, Mallory does not layer her paint; instead, she applies each stroke side by side without overlap—striving to get each one “right the first time.” Working with a limited palette of just five pigments, she achieves a vivid dance of unmuddied color that captures the emotional essence of being outdoors.
Throughout her career, Mallory has continued to draw inspiration from the natural world, translating her travels into a vast collection of landscapes. Living life on the road in her self-converted van, she explores both new and familiar places that feed her creative spirit. Some of her most painted destinations include the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado, the red rocks of Moab, Utah, and the open grasslands of Montana.
Now residing in Loveland, Colorado, Mallory finds endless inspiration in the dramatic light and colors of the nearby Rocky Mountain National Park—just under an hour from her front door. When she’s not out on the trail chasing the next view, she can be found in her home studio, reflecting on the landscapes she’s explored and transforming them into luminous works of art.
You can read more about Mallory Cash's journey in various interviews, starting with CanvasRebel, VoyageDenver and ShoutOutColorado.
Mallory's Early Beginnings
From an early age, Mallory was captivated by the creative process. Picking up anything she could make a mark with and exploring the world through creation. Her formal training began at age twelve when she attended Bak Middle School of the Arts, later continuing at Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida.
While her foundation in art took root in the classroom, her inspiration often came from time spent outdoors. Summers in northwest New Jersey — surrounded by dense woods and a quiet lake — instilled in her a lifelong love of hiking and observing the natural world.
Mallory went on to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Textiles, with minors in Printmaking and Book Arts, from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in 2010. Her multidisciplinary background continues to influence her distinctive approach to painting, where texture, pattern, and rhythm come together to celebrate the beauty and balance of nature.
Inspired by Vagabond Living
After graduating from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Mallory stayed in Maryland, working a series of creative but unfulfilling jobs that always seemed to serve someone else’s vision. By 2015, she decided it was time to take control of her own path and began working for herself. Still, something was missing. In 2017, she took a leap of faith, built a self-converted van suited to her needs, and set out on the open road in search of a life that felt truly her own.
What began as a leap of faith quickly became a way of life. For two and a half years, Mallory traveled across the western United States and Canada with her heart dog, Manuka (an Australian Shepherd and loyal co-pilot). Along the way, she painted custom pet portraits to support her travels.
When she finally reached the Rocky Mountains, she knew she had found where her soul belonged. The vastness, color, and rhythm of the West later became her muse. In 2019, life surprised her again when she met her now-husband at a dog park in Denver, CO. His adventurous spirit fit seamlessly into her world, and together — with their two dogs in tow — they continued exploring new places and building a home rooted in creativity and wonder.
In early 2020, as the world slowed down, Mallory shifted her focus from commissioned portraits to the vibrant, impressionistic landscapes she’s now known for. She now lives in Loveland, CO, with her husband and their two Aussies. Each painting she creates is a reflection of her travels (old and new), her love of nature, and the freedom she found while living on the road.
