an artist shaped by memory, belief, and the permission to change.
about john malta
john malta has been drawing and painting for as long as memory allows, guided by a sustained compulsion to create. he works from a studio in the french quarter of new orleans and approaches painting as an ongoing, open-ended process rather than a fixed declaration. works often remain in flux, periodically revisited and altered, reflecting a belief in continual evolution—of both the painting and the artist.
malta’s subject matter is shaped by experience, memory, and personal history. while the work shifts over time, it consistently returns to recurring figures and themes: historical and religious imagery, mythological forms, heroes, and questions rooted in faith. these motifs function as points of continuity, reexamined and recontextualized across bodies of work.
working primarily with acrylic paint and charcoal on canvas, paper, or wood, malta favors directness and physical engagement with materials. using few brushes and bold, visible strokes, he builds paint in dense layers before scraping it back, allowing earlier images to remain present beneath the surface. this process of accumulation and removal embeds time, memory, and revision directly into the work. the resulting paintings resist preciousness. they are raw, tactile, and materially present, inviting sustained viewing and an encounter with the image as both a moment and a meditation.
—nissa johnson, fine art consultant
discover more about john:
johnhattonmalta - on instagram; follow for the latest releases and peek behind the curtain of john’s new orleans adventures
a tropical hideaway lies behind an 1831 quarter townhouse | nola.com
an eclectic victorian cottage in new orleans | apartment therapy
spotify playlists - known for excellent taste in music, here’s john’s spotify playlist collection
https://dureaufilm.com/ - john is featured in this documentary about fellow new orleans artist george dureau
new orleans cathedral collection - features several pieces of john malta original art
absolute arts - john’s profile among other artists