“Painting with an Anthropology Study: An Interview with Valerie N Alegria”
Valerie Alegria is interested in the modern effort that explains the mysterious function of the subjective experience we call a dream through psychology is the latest expression of a long quest to grasp how the body and mind interact. This universal human experience lacks any single, all-encompassing theory about the nature or purpose of dreams. Alegria’s artworks investigate the relationships between idiosyncratic dreams, nature, studies in anthropology, mythology, and the human body. Her assortment of materials extends to watercolor, acrylic, gouache, black ink, and oil paint to illustrate my visions of sleep. She’s interested in dreams as an infinite source of inspiration such as discovering hidden messages, the psyche, and self-exploration. The figures in
Alegria’s paintings are the navigators of her subconscious mind and pair with an exterior perspective to create a mystifying quality. Through imagery that is idyllic and arcane, her lucid dreams are harmonized with natural landscapes, fictional literature, and non-Western folklore. Situated in the tradition of Naturalism, Romanticism, and Symbolism, her thesis body of work seeks to reunite the visible and invisible. Alegria emphasizes intimacy, fleeting emotions, inner spirit, and the dream as paramount in a painting. Naturalism occurs in Alegria’s paintings as well, attempting to integrate the human figure and dream fragments with the wild nature that surrounds her.
Alegria’s paintings are the navigators of her subconscious mind and pair with an exterior perspective to create a mystifying quality. Through imagery that is idyllic and arcane, her lucid dreams are harmonized with natural landscapes, fictional literature, and non-Western folklore. Situated in the tradition of Naturalism, Romanticism, and Symbolism, her thesis body of work seeks to reunite the visible and invisible. Alegria emphasizes intimacy, fleeting emotions, inner spirit, and the dream as paramount in a painting. Naturalism occurs in Alegria’s paintings as well, attempting to integrate the human figure and dream fragments with the wild nature that surrounds her.
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Stevens: I want to start this interview by asking how are you feeling today.
Alegria: I’m doing good, how about you?
Stevens: Good! Thank you for asking. Starting off, what does your work process look like?
Alegria: How I usually get started is by using plenty of references and then using those references as collage material to make one or several pieces.
Stevens: Is there a different technique for each one?
Alegria: No, all of them would have a collage element attached to it. It takes a lot of work to do.
Stevens: Considering just how much time it takes for each one of your works, are there certain times of the day that you would work?
Alegria: I work during the night time a lot because the classes I take are in the mornings and afternoons, so it’s much easier to work on things at night compared to in the morning. Oftentimes, I will stay up until 3 in the morning.
Stevens: Following the question asked about your work process, do you usually have to come up with ideas for your work spontaneously or is there a routine that you follow?
Alegria: It’s kind of in between since I do like working experimentally, like with some of my bigger pieces, which I’d love to try and do more in the future. However, lately, it’s all just routine.
Stevens: Through looking at some of your work, it’s very telling that your color use is very appealing and eye-catching, from the vibrant blues to the cherry reds. Are there usually sketches or testing to make sure the colors are used correctly?
Alegria: Sometimes I will do a lot of color matching on paper to see how vibrant the color are and test different mixtures of colors to get the right shade for my projects. However, for the most part, I just use the color pure out of the tube. That’s why the colors appear super bright on paper.
Stevens: Leading on more to your answer, are there oftentimes that you’d mess up on your artwork and had to start over?
Alegria: Oh, yes, for sure. Just the other day while working on a project, I messed up in the middle of working on it. Despite that, when it does happen, I try not to over-fix that mistake so it can blend better with the overall theme rather than stand out even more. I would work around it to make that mistake seem intentional.
Stevens: Would that mistake be a new creation for your work?
Alegria: It rarely ever does, since I’m a perfectionist. Though I am trying to lean away from being a perfectionist and making that mistake present in the work while still making it part of the subject or theme I’m working on.
Stevens: While looking at your collection of artwork, you have different themes in regard to what you do. With your separate themes of Spiritual setting, Representation, and Experimentation, each section is as eye-catching as the last in composition, size, color, and theme.
Alegria: Thank you!
Stevens: In one of the works sectioned under Spiritual setting called “Moonjelly Portrait”, is a very beautifully made oil painting full of an array of blues, purples, white, and peach, in regards to the skin color. It truly looks like you’re looking through the aquarium glass, seeing a mermaid or a majestic being. Is the figure based on a sea creature or is this work considered as a
self-portrait?
Alegria: For a painting project, we [the class] had to do self-portraits and we had a lot of room for what we wanted it to look like. So I went for a Moonjelly because I really like sea creatures and it worked out since I’m a Pieces as well! A few people said the painting reminded them of Ophelia, as she drowned since the painting did look tragic in regards to the facial expression. So, that was very interesting to hear.
Stevens: That’s very interesting since I got the feeling of a mysterious, under the sea, creature.
Alegria: I’m glad you caught that!
Stevens: Then, with your section of works that have the theme of color representing emotion, I didn’t get that feeling with your watercolor and gouache painting titled “Under the Weather 2” with a snow leopard looking very at peace laying on the snow. How does the use of color for this painting help convey emotion?
Alegria: This work is part of a series with this work being the second out of three. I was trying to convey the feeling of solitude. Feeling comfortable being alone. So, by using a lot of blues and greys, I wanted to show that feeling.
Stevens: I’m glad you explained that because when I first looked at this painting, I just that the leopard was cute!
Alegria: A lot of people had that reaction! So, I understand the confusion.
Stevens: Looking through all the work you have done, one of the biggest works comes from the Experimental category called “SANDIA001” which stands at 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide. Despite how big this painting is, again, this work is very eye-catching as the color red is very vibrant against the black ink and white paper. From going from spiritual works to mechanical, did you find this process hard to do?
Alegria: For “SANDIA001”, it was very experimental so it was overall very challenging to put together through the time and effort spent on it. I researched ‘car mechanical interior’, how to make the steel or metal more realistic, just looking up information on how to go about this work. The spiritual works are where I’m most comfortable but this mechanical work is more for exploring and experimenting with my watercolor and gouache painting skills when I’m struggling with a new idea for a project.
Stevens: With just how in-depth your paintings are, as a student, do you have plans on selling your works, setting up galleries, or even having them displayed in your home for guests to enjoy?
Alegria: For right now, I don’t plan on selling any of my work and just focusing on trying to get my work set up in small art galleries. Though I am not against selling my artwork in the near future as well.
Stevens: Before ending our discussion, would you like to share why you prefer having an art career compared to being an engineer or nurse? Especially when it can get difficult making a lot of work in short periods of time or when you have to think about your continued income.
Alegria: Since my minor is in Anthropology, I always thought about switching majors to I can just do Anthropology. I often would second guess myself when applying to art classes. Yet, every time I do, I think about how I started off drawing when I was younger. I never regretted the experience I gained by being in art school, and my works often aligned with what I do as an Anthropology minor. So doing art had always been a comfort of mine.
Stevens: For those who could be reading this interview, would you like to share any advice that would be helpful for those who are struggling to be a watercolor artist or painter?
Alegria: Definitely save lots of money since paint and brushes are not cheap. So, save a lot of money for your art materials. And don’t be shy about using any available coupons or discounts in stores either, because that all could add up in the end!
Stevens: Thank you for having this interview with me.
Alegria: You’re welcome and thank you for having me!