Alishia Brundege
Alishia Brundege
“Each of my paintings represents a challenge or an investigation for me. I can look at each painting and recall something I learned or had to work through in the process of creating that artwork. Many times I will see something in my environment that I want to represent in a painting. This could be anything from seeing two colors juxtaposed in a shadow on the wall, a symbol or shape in a reflection, or a scene that has captured my attention. This may come out in the painting as the subject matter or as part of the processes. As my visual literacy develops, I feel a need to experiment in my paintings. I still recall the awe and excitement of seeing colors within a gray shadow. I relish the challenge of breaking down the actual green in an Ozark landscape. I love to try and figure out whether to add orange or red in order to duplicate the color that I am seeing.
Just as plein-air painting represents certain challenges for me, also venturing into creating semi-abstracted works has proven to be an entertaining endeavor. Recently the relationships of the colors, the shapes and lines, as well as the various brushstrokes have all provided a heightened focus for me. I enjoy the level of concentration painting requires of me. It provides sort of an escape where it is just me and the canvas, the paint and the brushes working through a visual journey.”