Ever since she was old enough to hold a piece of chalk in her hand, was she compelled to vandalise and doodle all over her mom's kitchen walls and cabinetry - to her mom's patiently loving dilemma. MALtreatment admits this was largely fueled by the simple act of being the youngest child in a family of 5 brothers and 2 sisters with the age difference spanning between 4 and 16 years.
In those formative years, her fascination was heavily influenced by her brothers’ sizeable collection of Marvel and DC comics, Frank Morrison, and with undying particular fondness – the zany, witty, uncontrollable illustrative genius of MAD Magazine.
Her background is in Advertising and Graphic Design. But of her art, she says: I simply like my paintings to put an idiot smile on my face every time I see them, and to make me feel spontaneously happy for no apparent reason. Also, change is crucial. I don't like monotony.
Evidently – like her works, she is a 'strange-ling' – being of English, Portuguese, Spanish, Irish blood.
She used to sign her work as Mal (acronym for Mary-Ann Alyson Long). Of late, she is more inclined to sign her paintings under MALtreatment. She feels it is more in-keeping with her personality.
Although not wholly exclusive, oils are her preferred medium – in particular oils by Daniel Smith.
Being a very tactile individual, a few of her paintings tend toward the luxuriousness of fat to elicit the sensual response to texture. Fibonacci Sunset is one such.
Private walls in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark to Japan have succumbed to her ... MALtreatment. | 
