New York-based painter Alyssa Monks captures the complex, multifaceted experience of being human in her intimate portraits of people half-hidden beneath layered surfaces. Bordering on hyperrealistic and surreality, while simultaneously venturing into the abstract, her oil paintings are masterful displays of both technical skill and artistic expression. The face of each of her subjects, whether concealed behind steamy panels of glass, swirling and frothing bathwater, or earthy depictions of trees, portrays a certain vulnerability that elevates the artwork into a haunting display of emotion.
“My intention is to transfer the intimacy and vulnerability of my human experience into a painted surface. I like mine to be as intimate as possible, each brush stroke like a fossil, recording every gesture and decision,” Monks writes on her website.
via mymodernmet