Artist Statement

I am still figuring out my own way of being an “artist.” I go through periods of intensely focused work followed by longer periods of not working at all. And I struggle with how art fits into my life. Is it a hobby? A calling? Therapy? Maybe all of the above. Maybe it’s something else entirely.

I have never been content to settle down with one medium or specific subject matter. Acrylics, encaustics, watercolors, pen / pencil drawings, digital composition, sculpture, book art, artist journals, landscapes, figurative, non-objective…there are so many interesting ways to make art and I want to experiment with all of them! New materials, new opportunities, new problems to solve…

Contradictions are a continual source of inspiration for me – the dynamic between detail and gesture, flatness and depth, opacity, and translucence. The unintended often shakes up my process, offering new possibilities and / or dilemmas. Scribbles, drips, splatters, and other “mistakes” will often lead my pieces in different directions than originally envisioned. The results can be messy.

Bio

Alissa Maddren was born in Los Angeles in 1964 and once she started drawing at the age of 2, she never stopped. She received her bachelor’s degree in fine art from UCSB in 1986, and while that achievement did not launch her into an illustrious career in the art world as she had hoped, she never left her desire to make art behind. She has had the good fortune to live most of her life on the beautiful California coast, where she raised a family and has been involved with various nonprofit organizations.

Alissa is a member of the Morro Bay Art Association, Central Coast Artist’s Collective, and the International Encaustic Artists Association.