Eva Montealegre
PRIVATES OR WORKSHOPS
PEOPLE SAY...
Dcsculpture
Beautifully curated show featuring several series of paintings created by Eva Montealegre. Work that is evocative and steeped in art tradition while pushing the boundaries of new and exciting territories. Textured and colorful, delightful and deep.
Laura Meir
Art Depot Gallery
City of Fontana
Eva Montealegre's works appear to swirl out towards us from the mist of a dream. With the haunting and elusive quality of a deja vu the work is yet startlingly immediate and energetically in the moment. Montealegre's impasto paint handling and vibrant use of color have the emotional and physical intensity of expressionistic painting yet her interest lies more in the centered and serene images and concerns of the mythological, the magical and the mystical. The half seen, half remembered visions which speak from the subconscious and subterranean parts of our being are the narrative for her work. The open, broad and rhythmic strokes of color from her brush are the flickering light that illuminates her vision.
When she paints animals Montealegre taps into the vibrant spiritual attributes of the cave paintings of Lascaux and Altamira. The animals are rendered simply yet essentially and are alive with the robust and magic energy of nature. Similarly her figures are always spiritual beings, ghosts or angels bent on some divine but unascertainable quest. They seem to quietly glow and many of them have wings. Montealegre's landscapes are always actually the terrain of dreams, indistinct and atmospheric, they are no place or everyplace. The open, shifting cloudscape of a reverie, a spiritual plane where Montealegre would have us play out our meditations and reflections.
Robert Kingston
Renown Abstract Painter
Eva's paintings evoke passion, mystery, and are an invitation to converse the unconscious... the deep work unfolds when you meet the artist. I am a proud owner of an Eva creation, at the right time, with everlasting enjoyment.
With Appreciation,
(owner of the painting, "DEEP THREE", 38" x 56" oil, bronze and copper with patina on canvas
This simple abstract has a strangely calming effect even though it is bright orange and red. The artist had a simple concept and executed it simply and pleasingly.
Ilene Skeen of San Diego's Women's Caucus for Art /April 2012
SDWCA awarded Eva's painting, "IT'S ALRIGHT" FIRST PLACE open themed exhibition 2012
Eva's paintings are infused with energy. Whether it pulses through the brilliant expressionistic colors of her Luminosity series or serenely flows through the paradoxically dynamic yet tranquil topographies of her landscapes and seascapes. It is the shamanic energy of a seeker. It is as if her vision strives to reveal the transformative mystery that interconnects the natural world with the inner longing for the sacred, for meaning. In this way, her work is revelatory and it is her imagination that pulls away the veil and conjures the figures and forms of worlds somehow familiar and yet unknown and unknowable. It is her imagination that illuminates the landscapes of a dream world. Here is a world of discovery and exploration. Her art is an exciting invitation into that world.
David Carmichael Topanga
Regarding her painting, DREAMDEER EMERGENCE, of the Dreamdeer series:
"...the feel is fantasy, free spirit. A really good overall feeling in this painting"
"Big fan of Eva's extraordinary artwork! The strength of her spirit and enthusiasm for life can truly be felt and give reason to why this incredible artist is so unbelievably passionate and prolific!"
Maureen Murphy - Producer, Writer, Editor
"Eva's approach is more of a mentoring or apprentice style which I really enjoyed. I think this kind of teaching is becoming more and more rare and missed in society. I saw my basic painting and drawing skills and techniques grow incredibly during this time.
Eva introduced me to many styles of painting. More importantly, Eva immersed me in the creative process. This allowed me to get in touch with my own creative energy and produce my own original works. Eva did this quite naturally and in a way that elicited my participation, tapping areas of myself that I had never reached before. I feel that I have grown tremendously as an artist during this time.
I would highly recommend Eva Montealegre whether your interest in art is professional or for pleasure. I look forward to continuing my study with her."
Private Art Student