Mahlon Cathey
Lee's Summit, MO
Email: mrmahloncathey@gmail.com
Website: www.thirdpersonstudios.com
Biographical Statement: I am a Lee’s Summit, Missouri-based abstract artist and the founder of Third Person Studios. I began painting as a personal means of processing experiences, emotions, and transitions that could not easily be expressed through conversation. This foundation became the guiding idea behind my studio’s motto, “What I Couldn’t Say in Words.” Working primarily with acrylic paint, texture mediums, palette knives, and hands-on application techniques, I create layered works that translate memory, music, grief, identity, resilience, and emotional movement into color and form. My work has been exhibited at Powell Gardens, Ameristar Casino, local art events, community festivals, and Fourth Fridays in Downtown Lee’s Summit. My artwork has also been purchased by new and returning collectors. And will be showing at the 2026 18th and Vine Arts Festival in Kansas City, MO. I am a juried member of Summit Art and actively expanding my practice into public, site-responsive, and community-engaged art. I graduated with an Associates from Longview Community College, and also took classes towards a Sociology Degree at UCMO The Innovation Campus right here in Lee's Summit. I also completed the Lee’s Summit Leadership Academy and a I am local resident, I am especially interested in projects that strengthen belonging, encourage human connection, support mental-health awareness, and contribute to the cultural identity of Lee’s Summit. Through Third Person Studios, I seek to create accessible, emotionally resonant artwork that invites viewers to pause, interpret, and discover their own meaning within the work.
Artist's Statement: My art begins in my garage—the space I transformed into my studio and the place where I retreat when I need quiet, freedom, or room to breathe. Late at night, while the rest of the world is slowing down, it is just me, my thoughts, some music, and my paints. That garage has become my safe space, my sanctuary, and sometimes my therapy. I rarely begin a painting knowing what it will become. I may choose a color or make the first mark, but after that, the painting seems to take over and create itself. I follow the movement, emotion, texture, and rhythm until the work tells me it is finished. Sometimes I step back and wonder, “Where did that come from?” For a long time, I did not call myself an artist. Painting was simply something I needed to do. Then one day, I looked around and saw everything I had created—paintings stacked in my garage, leaning against walls, and slowly taking over my house. My home may now be slightly overrun with artwork, but it was in that moment that I realized all of this had been living inside me, waiting for a way out. Painting became especially important after I lost my beloved dog, Linus. The grief was heavier than I knew how to explain, and art gave me somewhere to place it. In many ways, painting saved me. It helped me survive loss, rediscover parts of myself, and turn emotions I could not speak into something visible. That is why the motto of Third Person Studios is “What I Couldn’t Say in Words.” My work is personal, instinctive, textured, and human. I hope it gives others space to recognize feelings they may not yet have words for—and helps them feel a little less alone.
Experience Level: 1-3 years
Project Preference: Community-centered installations, rotating exhibitions, civic buildings, mental-health and wellness projects, public gathering spaces, and design-only opportunities.
What is your experience in the Public Arts: My experience includes exhibiting original abstract artwork in public-facing and community settings, including a solo exhibition at Ameristar Casino, Powell Gardens, Downtown Lee’s Summit Fourth Fridays,18th and Vine Arts Fesitval, local art festivals, and community events. I am also a juried member of Summit Art and have participated in the local arts community through exhibitions, sales, and organizational involvement. Although I am emerging specifically within commissioned public art, I bring experience creating artwork for varied audiences, planning professional displays, communicating with event organizers, and adapting presentations to different spaces. I am interested in collaborating with experienced fabricators, muralists, installers, City staff, and project teams when a project requires specialized production or installation.
Social Practice Artist: I am developing community-engaged art concepts centered on hope, empathy, mental wellness, communication, and belonging. One concept, Signs of Hope Lee’s Summit, would use artist-designed signs, public prompts, participatory displays, and community-submitted messages to encourage kindness and connection throughout Lee’s Summit. Other possible projects could invite residents to contribute words, colors, memories, or short responses that I would interpret through an abstract design. The resulting artwork could become a temporary installation, a digitally fabricated permanent piece, or a community exhibition. My goal would be to create an accessible experience in which residents contribute to the meaning of the work while maintaining a cohesive artistic vision.
Category: Social Practice,Site-Specific/Site-Responsive,Other Abstract art and mixed media design
Location and Duration: Interior,Exterior,Temporary