Conversations with Alyssa Rogers

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Rogers.

Hi Alyssa, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I would call myself a painter and a writer. I can’t really remember a time that I wasn’t making art! I was taken on a trip to Europe when I was eight years old and I remember sketching all the paintings and statues in the museums. After going to art school for undergrad, I had a brief crisis where I thought I might have to become a lawyer in order to make a living, but I’ve been lucky enough to find a way to survive and make art outside of school—nobody teaches you how to do that.

I had my first solo exhibition in Downtown Los Angeles in October 2020 during the pandemic, and while I couldn’t see anybody’s face, I was able to have so many meaningful one-on-one conversations with friends and strangers about my art. The show was a culmination of years of hard work, and it was so exciting to feel it come together and have something to celebrate during a globally bad year.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t always been easy! One thing that has been challenging has been dealing with a chronic health condition brought on by a severe thyroid disorder. There were a couple of years where it was hard to manage day-to-day, and I felt like I was really fighting with my body in a big way. It’s lonely to feel so sick for so long. I remember reading “Women Who Run With The Wolves” by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, and the first story in the book is about a woman named La Loba who collects bones in the desert, arranges them in the sand and sings over them until they form flesh and blood and fur, and come alive in the night. I remember feeling reduced to bones and feeling like that’s what I needed—to be sung to and brought back to life.

In my latest show at Monte Vista Projects, I used that myth as major inspiration for a story that I wove to inform my paintings. The saga starts with a young girl that travels alone on horseback to the Pacific Ocean, only to be killed by an outlaw and brought back to life as a horse by La Loba next to the sea. I loved the idea of the girl not just coming back to life but becoming a wild horse, more free than she could have imagined when she started her journey.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
When the work comes together, it becomes a visual form of storytelling, and I hope a kind of immersive experience. Often the stories are about women and are deeply connected to nature. My work is inspired by so many extraordinary visual artists and writers, but I think my work is original in that it’s so many things at once: it’s performance, it’s installation, it’s painting, drawing, sculpture, narrative. I’m passionate about so many mediums, it’s hard to restrict myself to one thing!

What are your plans for the future?
I’m working towards a new body of work about the ocean. I’m moving from the desert to the sea, which is a more joyful place for me. I’ve been back in the studio experimenting with some paintings and have started to make some ceramic vessels. The work is brighter and more playful and less solemn than the last show. I think that the pandemic taught me that pleasure and joy and movement are essential. I’m trying to reflect that in my art practice, and I hope it comes across in the work too.

Contact Info:

• Email: alyssrogers@gmail.com
• Website: http://alyssarogers.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssanrogers

Image Credits:
Photographs by Zachary Ruddell