“Destined” 16×20, oil on canvas
Bio
Alyssa Sneed is an oil painter whose work has been exhibited at UNF’s gallery for the Annual Senior show featuring 18 paintings oriented in an intricate mandala pattern. Three of her paintings were selected to be shown at the UNF un-CoRKed show where she won first place in a juried show. One of Alyssa’s prints was also featured in MOCA’s Art Politics show. Alyssa’s current work explores patterns created through insects, representing the intricacies and order found in nature. The main medias in which she works are in oil paint and ceramics. She often works in a very methodical and orderly fashion that shows in her work and creates clean professional level work.
Artist Statement
My work focuses on the beauty seen in God’s creation, specifically in the beauty and intricacies that can be found in the world of insects. Coupled with this appreciation and the understanding that the majority of society overlooks and underappreciates insects I aim to create work that sparks curiosity. Through the use of playful color combinations and the creation of a variety of patterns using bugs I also wish to communicate a sense of order and perfection in the work reflecting God’s craftsmanship. When viewing my work my hope is that the audience can look beyond their preconceptions of what bugs are or have to represent and see them for what they are. Beyond this I hope that my work instills an appreciation for all things big or small in our world.
Whether it be a bug portrait or a pattern made up of insects, each one of my pieces starts with a stencil. By using stencils each piece exhibits a connection to each other and is systematically organized. To start I sketch out the insects I plan to use for each painting, cut them out and will use them as stencils that I can rearrange to create symmetrical and identical patterns throughout the piece, keeping it consistent. Then I paint the background with acrylic to help with drying time and glaze over with oil paint. When painting the carefully arranged bugs, I will turn the substrate to paint every repeated bug one step at the time to ensure that each one turns out the same by the time the painting is finished. This process keeps my pieces organized and leaves me with a product that reflects the level of care and craftsmanship I see in nature.
Alyssa._.Arts 