"Milk Carton Man," Kristin Mallery

First Kristin Mallery saw hearts. In the sky. On the ground. Even in a cup of tea. And she scrambled to capture them with her digital camera. Since 2000, the amateur photographer has collected over one-hundred and thirty unique found hearts. They've been displayed in restaurant art galleries and on greeting cards. But now the self-described 'heartist' is tapping into a different beat. She's finding faces.

Mallery says the first one peered out at her from the inside of a washing machine. "I opened the lid and there was this little machine man on the right. I've seen him in other washing machines, too. It's just two screws and a little hole. Together they make a perfect little face." Mallery named him 'Washing Machine Man.'

That was a year and a half ago. Today 'Washing Machine Man' is in good company. Mallery has gathered a posse of about fifty found faces so far. Like the hearts, Mallery says these faces present themselves anytime, anyplace. "I just see them and they're looking back at me."

On a recent road trip Mallery says she felt like she was being watched. She glanced down to her right, only to discover two round eyes, and a thick, off-kilter mouth, sandwiched between the bucket seats of her compact SUV. Mallery grabbed her camera, with glee, and 'Cup Holder Man' was born.

Many of the faces being previewed at Mallery's current show (through June 14th) appeared within a week of each other, according to the artist.

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"I'm not looking for them," she says. "Maybe I'm open to them or something. My brain is just doing it. Someone asked me, 'so are you trying to come up with a new series?' And I'm really not. It's just sort of coming. It's really fun."

Mallery had another 'ah-ha' face moment while staring idly at her flip-top cell phone. "If anyone out there has a Samsung phone, take a look at the little piece, the opening where you would listen, in your cell phone. Mine is a little guy and he's got a huge eyebrow, like a unibrow, across both eyes."

While Mallery's found hearts are endearing, fleeting, and somewhat pensive, there's something comical and more permanent about the artist's latest pursuit. Take 'Cell Phone Man,' for instance. His little face, dominated by that enormous eyebrow, has a distinct personality. He's cartoon-like. Not-quite human. Flawed. His imperfect features make him sympathetic, irresistible and downright cute. And, unlike the heart Mallery once found in a cloud formation, 'Cell Phone Man' is always there. He's dependable.

Most, but not all of the photographer's faces reside on inanimate, man-made objects, such as a stainless-steel grater she dug up while organizing her aunt's cupboards in North Carolina. "He's just smiling back at me," observes Mallery, "and he always will."

Some of the faces are more sinister looking, though. And naughty. Mallery's favorite is a composite of two black knobs and the handle on a small gas stove. The white door, dark eyes and wide mouth combine to form a relatively straightforward-looking face. But one night, after hanging a blue dish towel on that door handle, Mallery laughed at the effect. The draped fabric gives the impression of a long, floppy tongue. This 'Dish-Towel Man' is an imp, apparently. And Mallery adores him.

Then there's 'Wireless Router Man.' "He's more alien looking with his little eyes," says Mallery. "His mouth (is) made up of all these little lights, green and red and yellow. And he's always moving and gurgling." He hides out behind the photographer's couch.

Mallery acknowledges that most of the faces she finds are of the male persuasion, although she says 'Wireless Router Man' could easily be a woman. "That one actually reminds me of the robot maid on 'The Jetsons.' Rosie. Remember her?"

The subtext in this series of found faces seems ripe for exposition. In this fast-paced, high-tech world, where the proliferation of communications devices brings us closer while pushing us apart, there's a certain irony to the idea that quirky humanoid faces greet Mallery from her cell phone and internet connection.

She admits it's a challenging time to be alive, with people isolated in their cars and work places, interacting through and with electronic gizmos, and often treating other humans like machines. But the artist says none of these thoughts consciously drive her work. It all just happens, she says, and she's only searching for meaning now because she's been asked to do so.

"Faces showing up just remind me that there is life here and that we're all in this together," Mallery explains. "I don't know. I'm not trying to be deep. I just think the world has gotten a little crazy and personally I want to slow down and have some fun in life. And these are fun. They stop me in my drama. They make me more awake."

"Hearts Happen" and some faces are on display through June 14th, 2006 at the Bangkok Café in Roslindale, Mass.

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