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ALLYSON MELLBERG creates haunting portrait series of physically mutated boys and girls. Her work is inspired by the daily misuse of chemicals in our society and in keeping with her awarness uses non-toxic and often homemade materials.

The drawings are both grotesque and beautiful, reeling you in with their fine line details, walnut-ink washes and sympathetic looks. Elephantitus-like mutations grow out of armpits and faces, hair comes alive and grows arms and tails that lovingly wrap around the heads of these sullen children. In October 2004, ALLYSON MELLBERG started the “Shampoo Girls”, a series of drawings named after chemicals found in women’s beauty products that are known to modify hormones. With names like “Ethyl of PVM”, “Laureth”, and “Sorbitan”, she envisioned this modification as a physical mutation, making drawings that embody that notion. In keeping with the idea that we should think about the chemicals we use daily, she uses only non-toxic (and as often as possible homemade) materials to make her drawings, prints, and sculptures.

ALLYSON MELLBERG lives and works in Charlottsville and shares her work through art shows, zines and prints.

And good news: she is part of the exhibition “Pen to Paper”, a show suggested by LARS DENICKE and PETER THALER from PICTOPLASMA ( in Paris at Galerie L.J during the month of May)