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Nature in Brushstrokes

We’re celebrating that burst of life through the work of two artists whose visions are as joyful and expressive as the season itself. From the inspired, symbolic creations of Jamie Brown at Free Bird Artistry, where each piece has a story rooted in personal meaning and the beauty of the natural world to the layered oils of Kelly Maloney, whose vibrant color play brings light and warmth to every canvas, explore the artists’ perspectives and creative sparks.



Jamie Brown

Tell us a bit about your background. 

I was born and raised in Northwest Arkansas and moved to Rochester after college. I have been painting for as long as I can remember, but as l graduated from college and moved away from my home in Arkansas to start my adult life in New York, I got away from my passion for art and painting for several years.



What are your favored media?

I am a watercolor, pencil, and mixed media artist.


What inspired you to revisit art?

In 2017, l experienced a profound personal loss when my dad passed away. As a kid, and as I got older, my dad and I always shared a love for watching the birds that came to his feeders. When I moved to New York, l'd share photos with him of birds that visited me at my new home. I loved our shared bond over watching our feathered friends. He was my biggest supporter and always wanted me to pursue my art professionally.


After I lost him, I was searching for an outlet to alleviate my grief. I turned back to painting, as it made sense to take my inspiration from the thing we loved so much together. I started Free Bird Artistry as a tribute to my dad and the memories we shared.


What about painting birds strikes you so?

Painting birds brings me so much joy in knowing that I'm finally pursuing the dream [my dad] had for me, and I love being able to honor him in this way. The first painting I did to honor my dad is a watercolor of a rose-breasted grosbeak entitled "First Inspiration." I still remember the first time I saw one at my feeder. I took a picture and immediately texted it to him to see if he knew what it was. To this day, it still feels like he's visiting me when I see one. That single painting became a turning point in my life, rekindling my love for art and helping me navigate through grief.


Do you now focus exclusively on birds?

Since starting Free Bird Artistry, I have maintained a focus on painting birds, although I love to paint anything nature related. I also have experience with home and architecture painting too. Every piece I paint tells a story, often incorporating subtle touches of symbolism that make it uniquely personal.


I often do commissioned work as well and have done pet portraits and home portraits, but my favorite projects are what I call "Birthday Birds." Like birthstones, each month of the year has specific birds and flowers associated with it. It's so much fun to create a composition for a client with the unique birds and flowers associated with their family members.


See examples on her website freebirdartistry.com.



What do you think of the Rochester area art community?

I have found it to be incredibly supportive and welcoming. I only started venturing into local art markets and festivals last year. My good friend, Bianca Piazza, founder of RocOnly Events, gave me my first introduction to local markets, and I have grown so much as a result. I love her markets because they are beautifully curated to the venue and theme of each event. I have met incredibly talented vendors and artisans this way, and many have become friends.


This year I plan to venture into larger, more art-centric festivals as well, such as the MAG Clothesline Arts Festival and hopefully others like the Brockport Arts Festival.


I have also done a few installations as a monthly featured artist at local venues such as Locals Only, Red White and Brew, and The Owl House.


Anything else you’d like to share?

Although I don't have any formal fine arts training aside from high school art classes, this year I decided to invest in myself and my passion for creating by taking classes to develop my skills in new mediums including oils and mixed media.



kelly maloney

Tell us a bit about your background.

I grew up in Canandaigua, where much of my family still lives. I was encouraged by my teacher, Cindy Dalton, whose influence led me to focus on painting and ceramics at Roberts Wesleyan.



What are your first memories with art? What inspired you to explore art?

My earliest memories are sitting at the kitchen island, making colored-pencil worlds infused with My Little Pony characters. My parents always encouraged creativity – watercolors, lego creations, backyard plays, whatever we dreamed up. That freedom from the very beginning made art feel natural and guided how I explore the world.


Who has been your favorite artist?

One of my favorite artists is Sergiu Coichină, [a Moldovan artist I discovered while he was still in school and later met when he was painting in the Luxembourg Gardens]. I’m inspired not only by the emotional honesty in his work, but by his commitment to growth. [It] reminds me that artistic identity is something built over time through continual practice, risk, and belief in the work itself.


What inspires your art and what is the role of art today?

Creating art is intrinsic to humanity. In an era where artificial intelligence can reproduce styles and designs, art is human, and the meaning that exists behind it will never be replicated by technology. 

Art is necessary to bring hope, add joy, to focus our attention. It brings me hope that someone may also find that in my work when they need it and spurs me to not only keep creating but also sharing it.


What mentors have been on your creative journey? 

My longtime mentor and friend, Gia Canali, is an LA-based artist whom I’ve looked up to since I was eleven. We now regularly work "side by side" over Zoom. Watching her work evolve over decades has taught me that growth requires risk. Her courage continually pushes me to take creative risks of my own.


What are your favorite media to use?

Oil paints are my first love. Occasionally I’ll experiment with a piece and add pastels or pencil, but oils are still it for me.


What is your process?

For me, painting is intuitive and dynamic; it’s the one thing I do that pulls all my focus. My favorite way to work is to pick up my palette knife and start mixing the colors I have in mind for that day, put my painting playlist on, and just go.


For my abstract work, I sometimes have an idea for the feeling of a piece, but that can change as I step back during initial composition. I like to give myself several hours for the first layer so I can cover the whole canvas in the first session. Then I see where it’s headed after I step back, paint brushes down, and push the details with the layers to come.



What are your general goals with your art?

I’ve been a runner all my life, so I’m not new to setting goals, but I don’t tend to do that with my art. My only real goal is to bring some (most likely bold and bright) color to other people’s lives, and I hope they’ll feel something – a moment of peace, or comfort, some joy.


What have been your favorite projects?

A friend’s preferred color palette and direction led to the stylistic choices I make that you can see in most of my abstract pieces. I went in the exact opposite direction she initially asked for, but what came of it has been a body of work that continues to be some of my favorite pieces to create. They are filled with movement and depth but built with a static-looking brush stroke – I owe it to Robyn and her opposite request!


Any collaborations you’ve been particularly happy with? 

I've collaborated with Kelli Jean Ceramics, painting directly onto her forms for a series of holiday ornaments. I've also created a collection based on photographs taken at the Lamberton Conservatory by Beth Larter. I have a large 5' x 4' piece currently hanging in my dining room from that collaboration, and I'm trying to be willing to part with it, someday. 




As days grow longer and light lingers later on studio walls, Rochester area artists like Jamie Brown and Kelly Maloney remind us that creativity, much like spring itself, is an act of renewal. Whether it’s Jamie transforming memory, love, and symbolism into delicate wings and natural details, or Kelly layering bold oils onto canvases that radiate movement and hope, both artists show how art can carry meaning, healing, and joy all at once. Their work invites us to slow down, notice color, feel something deeply, and perhaps rediscover our own creative spark. This season of fresh starts is the perfect time to let art lead us back to wonder.

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