Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacqueline Alvarino.
Jacqueline, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Approximately three years ago, I struggled with a traumatic experience: the severance of multiple significant relationships in my life. The grief became insurmountable to the point that I began to question the value of my own existence. It is within this period that I broke my years-long hiatus from painting. I felt a sense of urgency to reclaim a forgotten passion. Consequently, I enrolled in a painting course at the local community college. The subject matter of our paintings involved everyday items such as boots and vases as well as other objects placed in still-life arrangements. Then we moved onwards to recreating Old/New Masters’ paintings.
Throughout the course I remember being completely fixated on trying to paint with accuracy. I felt so perplexed and frustrated that it nearly spoiled my perspective on painting. I think my art instructor could sense my annoyance as well. Paraphrasing from what I remember, on the last day of class my instructor said that I needed to paint beyond what I see in front of me every day, and instead paint what I visualize in my mind. Moreover, if I don’t do anything else, then at least paint for my sanity. To this day I am so grateful for his input. My instructor’s encouragement propelled me towards introspection; I began painting abstract designs.
The transition from representational to abstract was a very slow process, filled with days of fear, hesitation, and inactivity. Initially, I felt ashamed and concerned about sharing my designs because my inner critic said that no one would understand them. Putting my entire trauma into perspective, it took over a year of grieving, soul searching, and paint application to feel comfortable with my creative pursuits. I began to feel at ease because I had decided to paint for myself. It is within this period that I began working simultaneously on two psychologically dense abstract collections: “The Five Stages of Grief” and “Puffy Pollock”. Both collections focus on emotion, memory, and self-reflection.
It felt incredibly liberating to transmute my sorrow, angst, and existential fears onto the canvas. As the months passed and my collections grew, I began to care less about how people might react to my artwork. Suddenly, I felt compelled to not let anything stop me from creating. I then realized that in the grander scheme of things these paintings serve as integral parts to a very long story—a personal history involving my upbringing; the circumstances of my youth that shaped me into the person that I am today.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I believe I am still in the process of claiming my signature style. But over the years I have experimented with a variety of color, media, and techniques on canvases. The “Puffy Pollock” collection, for instance, is the result of “action painting”, a method routinely employed by Jackson Pollock. The paintings from my “Water” collection, however, depict movement through my employment of the fan brush. I derive the most satisfaction, however, when I’m in the midst of the paint application process, placing pressure with my filbert brushes onto the canvas. I enjoy applying multiple layers of gestural brushstrokes, one after another, in a multitude of colors. I find this progression to be extremely cathartic; a source of relief. I use this painting process as an analogy for the development of human thought. An idea or memory comes to you, followed by some kind of emotional reaction, compounded by another thought, and so forth. Viewers never get to see all the layers underneath, but they do exist. I think it’s a radical way to promote introspection. Rather than primarily focusing on the political, social, and cultural landscape of our modern times, my material focuses on the psychological experience; frameworks of the human mind.
Above all, I want my work to encourage dialogue about what is occurring inside of us from an emotional standpoint, rather than simply dwelling upon our physical surroundings. The “Puffy Pollock” collection, for instance, is an assortment of paintings that contain a unique combination of colors—a blend of strong and subtle 90’s pop culture references. The collection began as a journey of self-examination that led me backwards to my own childhood during the 90’s. This search for origins was fundamentally an escape into the simplicity of my youth; an attempt to reaffirm perceived connectivity with the past. Above all, what I wished to convey in my abstract designs was the energy within a memory—that precise moment when one’s heart races as he or she remembers something wonderful, funny, or terrible. That contained energy is executed through the variety of color, line and movement in my paintings. This collection represents a majority of artwork—they serve as a means to conceptualize psychological states into a creative framework. Aside from my abstract designs, from time to time I create representational designs for clients seeking commissioned artwork.
Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
Start building your support system as soon as possible. It might be with another fellow artist who lives 3,000 miles away, or with a patron who meets you on a monthly basis just for coffee and conversation. Either way, the moments you spend with them can leave a lasting impact on your creative ventures. With so many more channels of communication available, there is no need to isolate yourself throughout your career. Because I am a pensive individual inclined to solitude, I am still trying to practice what I preach.
In retrospect, if I had the opportunity to change one thing about my past (aside from the traumas I’ve endured) I think I would have never abandoned painting during my adolescence. On the other hand, something tells me that if life went a different way I would not have explored such unique avenues of self expression.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
In the last year or so my artwork has grown in public visibility: I have acquired the support of several local curators and creatives who have exhibited my paintings in both groups displays and solo shows. In fact, I am preparing a new design for a January group exhibition at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Orange County. Aside from the gallery shows, viewers can see my latest paintings on Instagram and Behance.
They can catch me in the painting process through my Instagram live feed as well as through videos on my “Jac Alva Art” YouTube channel. As a result of my social media presence, patrons have contacted me via Instagram to create artwork for their homes. Thus, a large portion of my sales stems from commission work. I still have several designs up for sale that can be viewed for purchase on my portfolio via Behance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.behance.net/jacalvaarta4d6
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacalvaart/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jacalvaart
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLcZHB05zt3WC6qUNbqq92g
Image Credit:
“Puffy Pollock” photographs featuring the artist, Jacqueline Alvarino, were taken by M. Scott at Everyday Creative Media.
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
