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6/25/2022 Onward. A bunch of new limited edition prints now available ❤️ I don’t think anyone can escape their childhood. “The life before had happened to me as childhood happens to everyone. The mark of adulthood is when we happen to life. This is everyone’s story and everyone’s duty: to reach adulthood and then do the hard work of unpacking your childhood, your family, the weapons you picked up to protect your little body. Exposure to human stories reminds us that we're all human.” - @jedidiahjenkins 🐇🐰🐇 Rabbits represent my childhood in so many ways, surrounded by them, reading about them, playing with them. We had a bunny named Aussie who had free reign of our home, I carried a stuffed animal named Hoppy VanderHare everywhere I went, I even read Watership Down when it weighed more than I did. I didn’t grow up in this city where I now live, going to the ‘mainland’ was always an event. I am more familiar with wide open spaces with actual trees and wild life than with grid lock traffic, shopping malls and sky scrapers. The island did have a county fair which was the big event of the summer. That’s actually where all the wild bunnies came from, legend has it. A couple escaped one year, and well, you know how rabbits are. Sharing these creatures is as close as I can get to taking you by the hand and bringing you on the ferry to go to the island full of wild bunnies and the broken child hood home I came from. That’s what these chaos bunnies are all about. Escaping chaos before the damage I’d spend the rest of my life trying to heal. I have more to say and I’m learning how to use fewer words to tell the story: fewer marks to express the full spectrum of my experience. The rabbit chapters will continue to evolve and grow as long as I do. Onward. 🐇 6/21/2022 Sometimes you're the bug When I was a kid I listened to a lot of rock and roll. One of the songs that was often playing in the house I grew up in was The Bug by Mary Chapin Carpenter.
Sometimes you’re the windshield Sometimes you’re the bug. First day back at work since getting sick and I found myself relating a lot to that 🐞 Here’s to better days. and a lot more of this 🎨
The Royal King Fritz of The Forest Commission oil on panel, 36x24”
in his most perfect home. You all know by now, I am super particular about the commissions I take on. I won’t take on anything that doesn’t inspire me , I won’t enjoy painting it and it would probably fall flat. I was so excited to bring Liz’s vision of this magical fox to life and even more excited to see where he gets to live. I feel so grateful to have collectors who make room in their lives for my work and also share theirs with me. This is what Liz wrote: “Take me to the place -- Where the white trees grow. Take me to the place -- Where I only know. In my home -- Where the shadows run tall. I am king -- Neither big or nor small. My world is mine -- My breath is free. I am strong -- True royalty. So come with me -- If you’re dark and alone. When you feel lost -- You can share my home. Your world isn’t perfect -- I don’t expect it to be. But when you feel sorrow -- You can gaze upon me. In my home -- Where the shadows run tall. You can be king -- Neither big nor small.” 👑🦊 6/15/2022 Cecelia and The Satellite III Cecelia and the Satellite III, oil on panel 10x10”, after the song 🎵 by @amnthewilderness
She’s almost done🪐🌘🐻 Of all the things my eyes have seen The best by far is you. How sad is it To be somewhere else When you’re here. Preview for my show in August ‘22 @colegallery ❤️ I know I’m not right. I knew this when everyone around me was wearing pants and I insisted on wearing only overalls until 6th grade. I was terrified pants would fall down. I had probably the 10 pairs I’d rotate, and even fancy ones that I wore to formal events. As a girl who never really got into what the popular things were to wear or listen to on the radio, I spent a lot of time hiding at lunch from mean girls (and the rest of my high school) sketching and painting my monsters in the safety of the photography classroom. I also spent a great deal of time listening to music. Many of you know music influences so much of my current work, but I believe we are an amalgamation of everything that has come into our lives for better or worse. Something Corporate was one of the bands I listened to a lot, in addition to a lot of punk music. In college, this became Jacks Mannequin… in grad school to present time, Andrew and the Wilderness. Andrew McMahon was the genius behind each of those projects and there are albums like North that I can listen to that rocket me back into an exact period of my life. ✨ You can imagine my surprise when he actually liked one of these posts the other day. Thanks @amnthewilderness , I’m not sure in what other life time you would ever see what I paint. You made my day and many more. PS- I figured out the pants thing. You can trust elastic just as much as suspenders. ✌🏻 If you’ve never listened to the album North start to finish do yourself a favor and stream that . It’s pure gold.  Flight School Series: Run Before You Fly. 24x12” oil on panel.
Site-wide sale is on until June 15th, subscribe to newsletter to get the discount code 💖 🌘🦊🦅 This is a story about a little fox who think the night will last forever. He makes friends with Moon and learned even on the darkest coldest night, even in the deepest fox hole, he isn’t alone. Raven teaches him to fly so he can be with Moon, his love. -- Dear little fox, You don’t know me, but I’ve painted you moon-gazing for a very long time. I can’t teach you to reach for the moon, all I can do Is reach for it myself. And so as the author of this story, I painted you a black bird, a professor of flight, to show you the way. But first, You need to learn to use the feet you have. Run before you fly. Dear reader: 💖How do we learn to do the impossible? One step at a time. This is just as much a love story as it is a story about learning you are capable of so much more than the limitations you set for yourself. Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable. Keep some room on your for back For wings. 🦅 To the moon 🌙, Aliza —-- How many foxes have I painted looking up at the moon? So many. This imagery has been such a part of me it’s actually part of my tattoo sleeve (by the ink sorceror @horijefe !) It was during the creation of this new series that I fully realized how important it was to create characters and scenes that make us feel more alive. ✨ I’m looking forward to sharing the rest of this new story of mine. Original coming to Cole Gallery (@colegallery) as part of my August ’22 show! Available preorder via DM.  Flight School Series I. Oil on panel 30x24” Limited edition PRINTS NOW AVAILABLE (link in bio to shop!) And the June sale is ON tomorrow!
🌘🦊🦅 “You’re never going to kill storytelling because it’s built into the human plan. We come with it.” --Margaret Atwood. And this one has been going on well before I started painting it. This is a story about a little fox who think the night will last forever. He makes friends with Moon and learned even on the darkest coldest night, even in the deepest fox hole, he isn’t alone. Raven teaches him to fly so he can be with Moon, his love. How many foxes have I painted looking up at the moon? So many. This imagery has been such a part of me it’s actually part of my tattoo sleeve (by the ink sorceror @horijefe !) It wasn’t until a few months ago the storyline actually came together and I cannot wait to share it later this summer  Portrait by the indomitable @somerrunner
How you do something shows your grit (Some say talent, I say there is no such thing). Why you do something reveals your character. No, I don’t keep most of my work. This gift of mine Is for giving. It’s Tuesday. It’s the first days of summer. It’s getting down to the wire finishing up the creatures for the big dance I’ve been working on for the last year of my life. I woke up today and realized I’ve told many stories about foxes. All of these series: Little Talks, The Runaways, All I Need, Riot of Flowers, Flight School, The Royal 🦊 And I wonder if you knew That most of them Aren’t even about me. I’ll never really tell you what they’re about. They mean something to each one of you who has made a home for them, and I don’t want to pollute that with my own. But I was listening to a Billie Eilish interview on David Letterman while I was wrestling with two large tigers and I’d like to talk about one tiny moment that wasn’t about Billie. It was about her brother, Fineas. As the duo gained popularity and acclaim, Fineas became known for song writing and producing genius and expressed his frustration over articles saying how it must be nice now to not “just “ be known as “Billie’s brother.” What people might have missed in this quick blip was a moment where Billie shares she wanted to write a song about her not being here anymore. And how Fineas sharply objected. He wouldn’t indulge her in this endeavor. As anyone touched by sadness knows, when it’s too dark and you can’t see the light switch in the room you’re trapped in, sometimes you need someone else to turn it on for you. Or atleast, crack open a window. “That’s all b-s. ‘Billie’s brother’ is all I EVER want to be.” He’s not talking about being in the shadow of her success, he’s talking about her still being here to call her that. I felt that. 5/25/2022 They Didn't Know We Were Seeds 📸 by @somerrunner .
A lot of you don’t know that before I was a nurse practitioner, I worked as a nurse in a hospital for 5 years. I was on shift the day of the Marysville Pilchuck school shooting in 2014. The victims who were not expected to make it were transported to my hospital while others airlifted to the level I trauma center in Seattle. I’ll never forget seeing the cafeteria filled with devastated families. It’s been 8 years and that level of heart break is just… indelible. I’m having a really hard time with this one. This should not keep happening. I’m furious. I’m sad. But I’m still here, hoping for change. There are many things you cannot talk about working in health care, there are many experiences and feelings I don’t even know the words for, but I’ve always leaned into painting my way through the worst of it. As an artist, I want to respond to what I see, particularly the things that break my heart or spark me up in such a way that I can't help but also tell my own story in the paint. And maybe that’s what this is all about. This is me holding together and keeping alive the fragmented parts of the world and myself. I had some big news to share, but right now, my heart is with Texas. ❤️🩹 I posted some of this on my story and I’m completely overwhelmed by the messages you all have shared with me. I’ll be working on responding - just know I’m incredibly touched, but completely buried. I heard a fantastic quote that I’m holding onto: “They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.” I’ll figure this out. And I hope you’re all finding peace in whatever ways that looks like for you.🌱 5/15/2022 Runaway Foxes 4, Print release! The Runaway Fox Series. “No. 4”
Oil on canvas 24x24” NEW LIMITED EDITION PRINTS AVAILABLE ❤️ Check out the full collection in canvas print format on display in the Vulpine TapRoom !@lfpvulpine ✨ The good folks at Vulpine are doing the most to build community in LFP- swing by today to check out their pop up art market and support local artists! ——orig caption- “I tell you this to break your heart, by which I mean only that it break open and never close again to the rest of the world.”-Mary Oliver You are a witness to what’s happening right now. At the height of 2020, I wrote this to myself: I think the me five years from now would look back and tell me in this moment: You’re an overwhelmed nurse practitioner working during a pandemic that is disrupting life as we know it. I’m telling you, in five years You’re going to need all these stories you are a witness to. Write about what’s happening, especially the heartbreaking things. Paint the things you can’t help but paint: all the heartbreak you can’t find the words for. These stories- your paintings, may just become your most prized treasures. You will leave your story behind when it’s your time to go. And you can be proud: You had the courage to remember all of it and you were brave enough to share it. Art connects and you have no idea who you might inspire to do whatever makes them come alive. Keep doing your work. And most importantly, share. 🦊✌🏻 “What happens when people open their hearts?” “They get better.” -H Murakami 5/13/2022 Pink Lions Paper Crowns II Prints Limited Edition Prints Now Available !
Pink Lions, Paper Crowns II. Oil on panel 40x30”, original available for my summer show @colegallery August ’22. Don't let anybody tell you you can’t, or to not be afraid. It's okay to be afraid because you can't be brave or courageous without fear. The idea of being courageous is that even though you're scared, you just do the right thing anyway. And that’s how I feel when it comes to standing in front of my work in public. The thought of doing so absolutely brings me to my knees but I know that if I want to be in the arena and telling my stories to the world, I need to be able to leave the safe bat cave of my studio to be part of the story. Thank you for supporting me, and just know that it’s absolutely been worthwhile to show up and face the big scary world with all my monsters. 5/8/2022 Little Wonders 20x16", NEW PRINTS Little Wonders. 20x16” available from @colegallery
/ colegallery.net I was listening to a pod cast that really hit on the spirit of this little series of a tiger beholding some unexpected winged creatures. The podcast dug into the unfortunate consequences of what happens when people are disconnected from the natural world and our spiritual life, which is increasingly easier to do with our increasingly online and virtual lives. But more importantly, and what caught my attention was the discussion of awe. Awe usually happens when people are outside their comfort zone, experiencing something new and sometimes, when they’re in danger. The world needs more awe. That’s the essence of wonder. All spiritual life starts in wonder and where does this start, for most of us? Especially those of us who didn't grow up in the busy cities we now live in. It often starts in nature. Usually outdoors, when a child is crawling through the grass, turning over a rock and realizing for the first time maybe he or she is not alone in this world. What you put on your walls affects you, every single day. The art you surround yourself matters so very much. I know and feel so fortunate that my little monsters go to homes where they will be treasured. Truly, I couldn’t ask for more than that. Thank you for making room in your homes. Thank you for keeping room in your hearts. Stay curious. 5/5/2022 Riot of Flowers: My Wild Heart, 5x4'  Riot of Flowers Series: My Wild Heart. Oil on canvas 5x4’.
“Hearts are wild creatures, that’s why ribs are cages. And we must be the gardeners of all that we find in our hearts.” And this piece has most of the creatures that have wandered around mine my entire life. It has been a week, and it’s only Tuesday! I was sharply reminded yesterday why I paint wildlife and that’s because I’ve always painted as an escape from how awful people can be to each other. The health care environment is incredibly stressful and brings out the worst in both patients and providers. I say this all the time. It is imperative you learn how to speak without hurting people when you’re stressed. Take a moment. Deep breath. Think about how what is about to come out of your mouth will land on someone else’s ears. Just a reminder to be a little more thoughtful. Driving home yesterday, I usually tune into the radio and a familiar voice of @saulspady was on 97.3fm and he was sharing his own story relating to the leak from the Supreme Court yesterday. It was vulnerable content, you could just hear it in his voice. This was something hitting incredibly close to the vest. He asked for listeners to text in and share their thoughts. Eight minutes in, I was mortified hear him read aloud someone with a gripe about some road construction going on. How freaking callous have we become? I’m going to go home tonight and paint the creatures that make me happy to be alive. Humanity, do better. Second photo by the indomitable shutterbug @somerrunner 5/4/2022 Wednesday, 7x5" SOLD
Some girls are Malibu Barbie. I’m Wednesday Addams. Oil on panel 7x5” . SOLD.
“It’s funny to see a resurgence of rock and roll alt punk in fashion. Vivien Westwood always said punk was a fashion aesthetic before it was a sound. So I embraced that. I think it’s great, I’m rooting for all that. But at the same time, I kind of want to stick up for the underdogs. I want to stick up for the people who got made fun for this, that got bullied for being like that.” - @modsun on his song ‘Rich Kids Ruin Everything’ I wish when I was a kid struggling with getting bullied for being different and wearing punk clothes and dying my hair pink that someone would have told me ‘The people that made fun of you and bullied you will one day be embracing everything that you were- the weird, the interesting, the outcast.’ I didn’t know Netflix was coming out with a show on Wednesday directed by one of my fav artists Tim Burton when I painted this. I painted Wednesday because this character made me feel seen at a time in my life when my the few lady friends I had were starting to become obsessed with boys, MTV, and fashion. My guy friends were starting to treat me differently. And she made me feel like it was okay to be strange and unusual. With all of the things that make up Wednesday- She’s a little wicked with a deadpan sarcastic charm, she’s got a steadfast ability to remain weird and different from other people and speak her mind. You have to admit, even if you don’t like Wednesday: She is a force to be reckoned with. Second photo? Grade 11 Aliza. By @somerrunner . Long live the outcast 4/27/2022 Dear Me Dear me,
Be whatever you want to be. 👑🦁 There is a fairytale left in us all. Don't ever get so hung up on plans and goals that you forget to leave room for the unimaginable. Turning myself inside out sharing the creatures than have wandered across my heart and mind is not easy. When we see people facing their fears, triumphing over adversity and succeed, we feel lifted. It inspires us to think: “If they can do it, why can’t I?” A painting kept in the studio is safe But that is not where they belong. You can stay comfortable, Or you can risk everything And grow. This is a preview for my summer 2022 show Pink Lions Paper Crowns. I can’t wait to share these stories.   Today I posted a reel to my instagram. This is a reel of my weekend. I reposted as a regular post for caption and no text in the video.
Here's what I have to say on this "weekend" recap: Dhirubhai Ambani said, “If you don't build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs.” This “weekend” I painted a new piece, finished the first layer on one I started last week, sketched/blocked in a really big new 40x30” composition, started and totally messed up a new mini, varnished and wired the backings on finished work, picked up and even delivered a big custom print order. And I I still felt like I didn’t “do” much. Because outside of this, I didn’t. I guard my time in the studio fiercely to do what I do and share it with all of you hoping maybe it might inspire someone else to pursue their art. Just know, it isn’t easy and it comes at a cost I choose to pay. (Despite a lot of therapy, It also comes with a heavy load of self-criticism) You make time for the things that are important to you. There is no easy balance to working a full time job as a nurse practitioner while being a painter, a dog mom, a distance runner, a good sister, friend and daughter. Seeing my work resonate with so many is what keeps my heart pumping. To build those dreams, You're going to have to make sacrifices. Are your dreams worth it? 4/23/2022 Cecelia and the Satellite, 5x5", SOLD “Cecelia and the Satellite.”
Tiny oil painting on panel 5x5”. ✨🔴SOLD In the original caption for this piece, I talk about the artist who does my tattoos. You learn a lot about how to deal with pain for extended periods of time, but you also learn a lot about trust. I don’t think a single client of Jeff Cornell (@horijefe) would tell you they left without hearing him sing or hum along to whatever was jamming in the shop or his heart. He was never short on encouraging me to pursue art I was shattered to see his diagnosis of advanced colon cancer. If you want an idea of just how treasured this man is, his gofundme has raised almost $50k out of his 85k goal in just 6 days. Please take a moment for him and his sweet family if you can. -Original caption- Stephen King says “all novels are really letters aimed at one person.” I don’t view my work much differently. Similarly, the artist who does my tattoos, @horijefe once told me something I’ll never forget. Mind you, he’s not only the grand daddy of the Seattle tattoo scene, but he’s a brilliant musician. ✨“Doesn’t matter what type of music it is, I think every song is a love song.” And initially I was a little distracted by the fact he was drilling my elbow (OW!) but the more I thought about it? I couldn’t agree more. I had a 3 piece series of bears that were letters to someone and part of gluing back together a broken heart. The last of the bear letters was called “Even Every Sunday” : . “Hi. I know we didn’t talk after I left. But maybe the best part about not seeing you anymore is I can still write you these letters. Even if all we had left were Sundays, I’d still write. Because maybe these aren’t even letters anymore than they are the story of how I found myself. . I don’t think I need to send this one, after all.” 🪐✨… and here I am again. Trying to tell you. There is a girl who still writes to you. She doesn’t know how not to. 🐻✨ Don’t be fooled, these are not paintings These are love songs. The title of this piece is from a song by Andrew Mcmahon and the Wilderness 4/20/2022 Korra, a special commission 20x16"      Korra, a special commission. Oil on panel 20x16”. And a bonus mini 5x7”!
No matter how crummy you feel, that little dog is gonna love you. There is nothing that can replace the hole left behind in our hearts when the people we love are no longer here with us. For some, the hole is wider and darker during birthdays, holidays, graduations. But, for those who choose to share their lives with dogs, you understand the hole can be a little less dark with one by your side. When I was asked if I had time to paint a commission as a special birthday gift for a girl who is no longer fond of birthdays, I really didn’t. But it wasn’t a commission I would turn down in a million years. To be able to play a small role in making this gift that was so heart felt is everything. As you know by now, While it may be a wait list sometimes, Dog commissions are always open here. -- Sometimes I am provided a selection of references that I honestly just can’t pick which one I want to paint. So I don’t. I paint a couple and send a bonus! 😂 4/14/2022 All I Need, I 20x16", SOLD    All I Need I. Oil on canvas. 20x16". Original sold before it was even for sale, limited edition prints available!
Share what you love And the people who love the same thing will find you. “But really, all we want, and I speak for the entire human race here, is contact. Someone to let us know that we aren’t alone. That the world isn’t a dream and you and I really are happening at the same time, even if it’s not in the same place. That this is real. You’re really there. I’m really here. We’re real. This is real.” ― pleasefindthis, I Wrote This For You I’m just going to keep asking you to do your part and keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable. One day we will all get to wake up from this one. Hope begins in the dark. 🖤 My mom sent me a photo from one of my childhood sketchbooks, age 9 or 10 and the pages- studies, really, of a fennec fox. I had to follow the thread as soon as I saw it. In this piece I knew 3 things from these unlikely companions: I wanted a lightness, a softness, a tenderness. I wanted what I have never been able to hold. If I can paint them, I can see them and I can know them, in a sense. And no, they might not be mine forever but for a moment I forget about everything that ever took them away from me. I never know where my work is going to end up but I know if I don’t share it, it’s going nowhere. I quickly shied off sharing this piece as it grabbed me in such a way I’ve never experienced with my own work. Now that I know it’s going somewhere it will be treasured just as much, the weight of the world has lifted. I don’t have the vocabulary to properly convey just how special this piece was to me, but when I put down the final mark I took a step back from the easel and felt so strongly that someone needed to witness this with me. I called my mom to show her, and for a moment, I got to hold the feeling that I’ve chased my entire life. It feels like when you’ve been holding your breath for 32 years then finally exhale and let it all go. Breathe, paint, breathe, keep painting. I’m lucky to do what I do and every mark that hits a canvas is a little victory in keeping joy in my life. It’s the only tool I’ve got for organization in a world too chaotic to hold still.❤️ Since the original sold i keep finding myself looking for it on the wall. I finally ordered myself a canvas wrap print for the studio and it came out perfect. I can’t tell you how nice it is to have these two back in the studio 🥺 4/10/2022 Shine your savage crown sometimes 📸by @somerrunner
The Royal 👑Collection on the easel in the background Don’t ever apologize for the fire in you. The denial of your actual feelings doesn’t create better ones. Never say sorry being real. Never apologize for how you chose to survive. You’re like a little wild thing that was never sent to school. -Mary Oliver This new Royal character, he’s a little moody. He’s a little bit untamed. Shine your savage crown sometimes. I think all of us has a little bit of the Royal 👑 in them. Some are just a little better medicated, that’s all… 😆 Really loving this new character. 4/8/2022 The Week Ruth Sold  
Ruth. Oil on canvas 30x40”. Congratulations to @colegallery , original is SOLD❗️ Limited Edition prints, signed with COA available directly from alizaandhermonsters.com I’m often asked where the name “Ruth” came from. ✨Here’s the original caption explaining the title: People who say they don’t need anybody went through a lot of things alone. A lot of things broke my heart but fixed my vision. I read somewhere that a piece of art that speaks to you can open windows in a room you hadn’t even known was dark. I had posted this piece initially to my personal social media account and it really resonated with the person this piece is named after. She asked me what her name was, the tiger. She hoped it was something fierce, independent and sexy to fit her vibe. I know these creatures in my heart and soul.Truth be told, I never name them until someone needs one. I cannot tell you how much it means to artists to hear someone relate to your work. It really is everything. I knew in a second what the tiger’s name was. I answered Ruth’s inquiry promptly, posting this piece with its proper title. 💖 I considered copying some of what she had written to me about what this piece meant to her, but I actually think it is better if you look at it and take away whatever is there for you. This piece is definitely one of my precious babies, as are most of my tigers. If you know, you know. “Art is restoration: the idea is to repair the damages that are inflicted in life, to make something that is fragmented – which is what fear and anxiety do to a person – into something whole.” L. Bourgeois Everything I paint is a small part of me. But, Ruth was one of those pieces that helped me understand art is an effort toward wholeness, both for the creator and the viewer. It’s bittersweet to see her sell. When my work sells through the gallery I never know where they end up but I trust she found the most perfect home. Ink by @horijefe, last photo by @somerrunner 4/6/2022 The Royal 10x10" The Royal. Oil on panel 10x10".
Inspired by a recent commission of the Royal Fritz of the Forest (thank you Liz for this new character in my story!) 👑🦊 It's not enough to have teeth. You've got to have nerve. “I've been drawing as long as I can remember. I think all children draw as soon as they figure out the thumb and can grab crayons. The only difference with people like myself is that we never stopped drawing. Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with dry, uninspiring books on algebra, history, etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the 'creative bug' is just a wee voice telling you, 'I'd like my crayons back, please.” Hugh MacLeod I hope you find the courage to create whatever causes a revolution in your heart, and keep some room in there for the unimaginable ☝️✨ Amazing reference photo by @arno_van_zon  “There should be a place where only the things you want to happen, happen.”- Sendak
Yesterday was the 4th time I’ve been asked to do a painting for the war. It wasnt an inquiry. It was a “please do this” request. When asked to paint for this cause I’ve offered to donate prints. There are ways I support those affected that have nothing to do with art. I dont feel compelled to do any virtue signaling by saying Ive done xyz instead. I said this on my story, I’ve been avoiding directly commenting about it as this is going to fire up many of you. I’ve painted my whole life. I started again in earnest in 2019 and more seriously in 2020. Where it really came from is when my dad recognized the nebula collapse of my life that happens every now and again and suggested I get back to painting I was in a space where everything I knew was completely falling apart and I had to get reacquainted with who I was, process what I’d been through, and learn the language of painting - and develop my own vocabulary to say what I wanted. A big part of this was being alone in my studio. Even though it was scary to face some of those monsters I’d been running from, it saved my life. I never want to bring politics, religion, war or anything divisive into my studio. My art / studio are where I go to get away from the chaos around me. These are the internal and external spaces that enable my creativity. I don’t turn on the news unless I’m driving to work. I get overwhelmed by the constant violence in the headlines. As a nurse practitioner and former RN, I’m still haunted by what I saw in acute care. I’ve recognized that reducing life clutter and distractions let me find stillness. I need to preserve the safety of my space for creativity. I live where I paint. It’s difficult to understand if you have a studio OUTSIDE the home or don’t create. I live in a small studio apartment. There is no separation from art and life outside the the clinic where I work full time. If you aren’t seeing what you want here, please unfollow my journey. You curate your experience here. Support what you believe in, and allow others grace to do the same. 3/28/2022 Face the Wolves III, 14x11", SOLD Face the Wolves III, oil on acrylic on canvas 14x11". SOLD.
Aliza and Her Monsters x Cormac Mccarthy @cormac.mccarthy.art collaboration preview for our April 2022 show at the University Business Center. Show goes up April 5th! “If you can’t face the wolves, don’t go into the forest.” 🐺 Cormac and I have three important things in common: We like to paint, we work super frigging hard to pursue our art, and we’ve both lived on Whidbey Island. He has a beautiful gallery in Clinton, and I was born and raised there. It’s a special little community where we never crossed paths-I moved to Seattle when I was 18 and didn’t start seriously pursuing my art until 2020. When I saw Cormac’s landscapes on ig last year I immediately envisioned my monsters inhabiting them. I reached out and an unexpected friendship evolved during the pandemmie. We talk about studio struggles, various painting problems and art marketing. I was elated when he agreed to combine forces and see what we could accomplish together. He paints in textured acrylic so it was decided that I can layer my oil subjects over his marks. I did not anticipate the painting problems I encountered or the drama that came into the studio when I was very much concerned my marks might destroy his. It took me awhile to get over that and I didn’t start on these until the fear of messing up his work was out of the studio, or at least quiet enough for me to ignore. I didn’t want to paint scared- I know I’d be holding back. When you hold back, it shows. Your marks are timid and the process is agonizing. Here’s to facing the wolves in the studio and stepping up to that easel to bring them to life. Remember the rule: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it. 3/26/2022 Hope in the Foxhole, 14x11" Hope in the Foxhole, oil on acrylic on canvas 14x11". Available
Aliza and Her Monsters x Cormac Mccarthy @cormac.mccarthy.art collaboration preview for our April 2022 show at the University Business Center. Show goes up April 5th! ″A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.”- Kurt Vonnegut I was streaming Kurt Vonnegut's documentary while painting today and was struck by how he viewed himself writing for an audience of one. He wrote for his sister, Alice. “She was the secret of whatever artistic unity I had ever achieved. She was the secret of my technique.” Some of you know this, some of you don't. But, I didn't come into this world alone. I am an identical twin and my sister @somerrunner is probably the most talented photographer I've ever met. I don't think artists choose who or what inspires in them. I know I certainly didn't. But if you know about the foxes that show up so often in my work, you know.🦊🦊 I hope you have the courage to keep loving in a world that sometimes fails to do so. Cormac painted the backgrounds of the 4 collab pieces and I did my best not to screw em' up. Only two left available! 3/25/2022 Face the Wolves II, 14x11, SOLD Face the Wolves II, oil on acrylic on canvas 14x11". SOLD.
Aliza and Her Monsters x Cormac Mccarthy @cormac.mccarthy.art collaboration preview for our April 2022 show at the University Business Center. Show goes up April 5th! 🔥 "If you can't face the wolves, don't go into the forest." I hope you have the courage to keep loving in a world that sometimes fails to do so. Cormac painted the backgrounds of the 4 collab pieces and I did my best not to screw em' up. Only two left available! |
AuthorAliza and Her Monsters Archives
October 2022
CategoriesAll 2020 2021 Art Journey Art Marketing Business Oil Painting Series Studio Life Thoughts |
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