Nina Alderete

I make surreal collage paintings focusing on emotion and internal personal logic to create stories. These narratives are built intuitively through layers of materials and symbolism. Materials such as beads, collage, fabric, wax, and thread help build a blank landscape to frame surreal figures. Figures are given new personas by changing their faces to inanimate objects to expose their innermost thoughts and emotions. Handwritten and typed text is added to each painting. The text for me is when the painting turns into art. It is like the lyrics of a song you can’t stop thinking about or the phrase in a book that rolls around your head for months. The look of the text can be subtle; the words are not. Strange, ambiguous beauty is formed by symbolism made by text, watercolor marks, fabric, beads, and stitching. I only sell original art, never prints to help preserve my paintings' subtle textures and materials.