Alyssa Monks is an artist I stumbled upon while looking for inspiration for my new water-related pieces. Monks makes large, hyperrealistic oil paintings of people in water or people obstructed by wet and foggy glass. The biography of Monks on her website says that she “blurs the line between abstraction and realism by layering different spaces and moments in her paintings.” When I first read this I was incredibly intrigued because I have very similar goals for my own body of work. What was even more interesting to me is that our bodies of work may have similar messages but they look absolutely nothing alike. We use different mediums and I focus more on the abstract element of painting rather than her focus on the concept of abstraction. I can learn a lot from her though, including how she uses mark to make her paintings more expressive and texturized. Although I use a different medium, Monks proves that mark making is still an important part of any painting.
Monks has been working on her water series for 10 years, however she also does paintings that combine the images of figures and nature scenery. I noticed how she applies the same ideas of multiple planes of space and combines them into one beautiful painting. In some of her older work, she did paintings landscapes and scenes without a figurative element. I similarly used to do paintings of landscapes before I settled on my pool/bathtub path which I thought was interesting. Overall I’m in love with her work and I appreciate how she can still get the photorealistic effect while still having an expressive mark.
Monks has been working on her water series for 10 years, however she also does paintings that combine the images of figures and nature scenery. I noticed how she applies the same ideas of multiple planes of space and combines them into one beautiful painting. In some of her older work, she did paintings landscapes and scenes without a figurative element. I similarly used to do paintings of landscapes before I settled on my pool/bathtub path which I thought was interesting. Overall I’m in love with her work and I appreciate how she can still get the photorealistic effect while still having an expressive mark.