Keith Mallett
Encyclopedia
Early life
Mallett was born in Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania. His father Boyd Mallett was a veteran of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was an engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and electrician
Electrician
An electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. Electricians may also...
who died of a heart attack at the age of 33. Mallett was six at the time of his father's death. His mother, Dorothy Williams raised Keith, his two brothers Jason and Ronald Mallett
Ronald Mallett
Ronald Lawrence Mallett is an American theoretical physicist, academic, and author. He has taught physics at the University of Connecticut since 1975. He is best known for his scientific position on the possibility of time travel....
and his sister Eve, alone. At twelve Mallet began painting as a hobby.
Career
Keith studied painting at the Art Students LeagueArt Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
and Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Both stints at college led his professors to encourage him to work professionally and he gained positions working for several of his professors. While in New York, Mallett began working for the music industry painting record covers for Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
and creating T shirts for several well known music groups. In 1980 he moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to continue pursuing his art career. In Los Angeles he began working for Jam Power Records and began to exhibit his work in numerous galleries. Soon after moving to Los Angeles he moved to San Diego to work with Front Line Graphics. He soon began to concentrate on painting fine art and African American art. With the World-Wide success of "Generations", Mallett started his own company Keith Mallett Studio Inc.
Since starting Keith Mallett Studio, Mallett has worked as a painter, etcher and ceramic artist. His subject matter ranges from figurative to still life and abstracts. His work has been exhibited world wide and is featured in corporate and private collections. He has also enjoyed considerable success with numerous sold-out limited edition prints and was honored with a commission to paint the official limited edition print commemorating the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
's breakthrough into major league baseball. His favourite medium is etching.
A partial list of Keith’s clients include: Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, Lenox China, Franklin Mint
Franklin Mint
The Franklin Mint is a private corporation founded by Joseph Segel in 1964. The private mint operated from Wawa, Pennsylvania but that operation has now closed...
, New York Graphic Society, Springs Industries, and Canadian Art Prints.
Movies, television and books
A variety of movies and television shows have featured Mallett's work, including Woody AllenWoody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
's Mighty Aphrodite
Mighty Aphrodite
Mighty Aphrodite is a 1995 romantic comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen. The screenplay was inspired by the mythological tale of Pygmalion....
, Soul Food
Soul food
Soul food cuisine consists of a selection of foods traditional in the cuisine of African Americans. It is closely related to the cuisine of the Southern United States...
, Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt , better known as Ben Affleck, is an American actor, film director, writer, and producer. He became known with his performances in Kevin Smith's films such as Mallrats and Chasing Amy...
's Gone Baby Gone
Gone Baby Gone
Gone Baby Gone is a 2007 American crime drama-mystery film directed by Ben Affleck and starring his brother Casey Affleck. The screenplay by Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard is based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River and Shutter Island...
, and Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
's The Famous Jet Jackson. His art has also been featured in books such as Charlotte Watson Sherman's Sister fire and has been featured on the covers of Chicken Soup for the African American Soul and Chicken Soup for the African American Woman's Soul.
Personal life
Mallett currently lives in San Diego with his wife Dianne. They have one son, Christopher, a classical guitarist studying at Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.