Featured Artist Andrea Alvin

Using brilliant color, eye-popping reflections and unusual perspectives, artist Andrea Alvin creates nostalgic-themed oil paintings. Enjoy her “moments in time” and see more by visiting her website.

 

 

Nostalgia and realism are two words that seem to describe my art. My education and much of my work experience was in film and advertising, so I have been drawn to subjects that are part of our popular culture.

 

 

My goal is to bring the viewer into the painting by evoking a sense of recognition and feeling, bringing them to a warm, fuzzy place.

 

 

Although the work resolves to an almost photographic image, I am actually quite painterly in my style. Hyper-realism is not my goal. I set up and light most of my subjects and work from my photographs. The lighting and depth of field from my photographic reference help me to create a mood, which I think sets my work apart from other realists painting similar subjects.

 

 

I began painting interior scenes, editing through the camera lens, capturing the scene as it was left by the humans who inhabited the area. These paintings are a kind of portrait, documenting the person’s life by what was left behind. Nostalgia comes into play, when we look at these paintings and see the moment in time that was captured and the products and artifacts that aren’t necessarily around anymore.

 

 

Other subjects I have explored have been candy, snack foods and toys. If the subject resonates with me and brings me back to that familiar place, then I know I have to paint it. Many of these items were around when I was a kid and are still popular today.

 

 

We all seem to have a special place in our memory for these things no matter what era we grew up in. I try to elevate their status and make a beautiful painting out of the ordinary. I am drawn to ethereal light, reflections and surface textures.

 

 

Primarily, my paintings are oil on canvas. I like going to flea markets and garage sales to find subjects for my work. Sometimes I see something that would make a great painting and take pictures on the spot.

 

 

This is what happened with Samuel’s Candy Canes. I was in Samuel’s Sweet Shop in Rhinebeck, New York during the holiday season and I knew I wanted to capture the image to paint.

 

 

Otherwise, I do a photo shoot with my subjects. I use a combination of natural light and studio spots. The Hostess snack cakes were placed on depression glass plates which refracted the light in an unusual way.

 

 

Often, I will use a reflective surface or extra harsh lighting to get the effect that I want. I do a very detailed drawing on the canvas and begin painting.

 

Artist Andrea Alvin invites you to follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

 

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