“I never use models that I don’t know or have a relationship with. When I am painting someone I am having a conversation with them. If I don’t know them, they become more of an object, less of an active subject.”–Alyssa Monks
“The whole water thing kind of found me, and I evolved into it. I have a memory of painting when I was 14 or 15 years old. I was looking through references for what I wanted to paint next. I found an image of water, but it was too hard to paint. So, it was a personal milestone to paint water. I came back to it [painting water] 5 or 6 years ago and I loved the way it played with the flesh — how it was destructive to the form and added this other level of challenge.”–Alyssa Monks
“I feel like the water has become the perfect translation of the medium. Painting someone dry is boring for me.”–Alyssa Monks
For Alyssa Monks complete portfolio and biography, visit her personal hompage at Alyssamonks.com
