What People Say
"In the heartily textured, expressively drawn, chromatically saturated abstractions by Eva Montealegre, the artist’s own process of self-discovery plays out in organic, macro/micro shapes and patterns that don’t so much communicate her hard-won insights as offer local evidence of the journey. Pondering interconnectedness from the cell to the star, light waves and brain waves, archetypes of the individual psyche and collective unconscious, along with natural and culturally-activated principles of color, she also draws parallels between the sinewy body and the undulating oceans, tracing energy fields and fractal musicality as one among many ways to understand what life is."
Shana Nys Dambrot,
13 Things LA
"these rich layered abstract paintings demonstrate movement and journeys across space and time the micro and the macro… DEEP MATTER describes the deep below and above inside and out all beginning from within."
Karla Funderburk
Curator
Matter Studio Gallery
Regarding Eva Montealegre's solo show in Fontana, CA
"Beautifully curated show featuring several series of paintings created by Eva Montealegre. Work that is evocative and steeped in art tradition while pushing the boundaries of new and exciting territories. Textured and colorful, delightful and deep."
Laura Meir, Director
Art Depot Gallery
Fontana, California
"Eva Montealegre’s works appear to swirl out towards us
from the mist of a dream. With the haunting and elusive
quality of a deja vu the work is yet startlingly immediate and
energetically in the moment. Montealegre’s impasto paint
handling and vibrant use of color have the emotional and
physical intensity of expressionistic painting yet her interest
lies more in the centered and serene images and concerns of
the mythological, the magical and the mystical. The half seen,
half remembered visions which speak from the subconscious
and subterranean parts of our being are the narrative for her
work. The open, broad and rhythmic strokes of color from her
brush are the flickering light that illuminates her vision.
When she paints animals Montealegre taps into the vibrant
spiritual attributes of the cave paintings of Lascaux and
Altamira. The animals are rendered simply yet essentially
and are alive with the robust and magic energy of nature.
Similarly her figures are always spiritual beings, ghosts or
angels bent on some divine but unascertainable quest. They
seem to quietly glow – many of them have wings.
Montealegre’s landscapes are always actually the terrain of
dreams, indistinct and atmospheric, they are no place or
everyplace. The open, shifting cloudscape of a reverie – a
spiritual plane where Montealegre would have us play out
our meditations and reflections."
Robert Kingston
Painter, Educator
Altadena, California
Laura Meir, Director
Art Depot Gallery
Fontana, California
"Eva Monteleagre’s paintings surprise you with their ethereal, mystical qualities. They take you to a different place and make you wonder where you are. With nature as a constant thread in her work, from her Icon Series to her Bodies of Water, each one is a unique journey into the unknown created with her deftly handling of paint.
Her Luminosity Series features a stylized female form in a variety of environments indicated by their vibrant palette and vigorous paint application. Each one seems to be attempting to adapt to the world around them. Her symbolic narrative is clearly the result of careful research.
Overall, her oeuvre is comprised of delightful paintings that have great energy."
Karen Schifman
Art Historian
"Eva Montealegre’s works appear to swirl out towards us
from the mist of a dream. With the haunting and elusive
quality of a deja vu the work is yet startlingly immediate and
energetically in the moment. Montealegre’s impasto paint
handling and vibrant use of color have the emotional and
physical intensity of expressionistic painting yet her interest
lies more in the centered and serene images and concerns of
the mythological, the magical and the mystical. The half seen,
half remembered visions which speak from the subconscious
and subterranean parts of our being are the narrative for her
work. The open, broad and rhythmic strokes of color from her
brush are the flickering light that illuminates her vision.
When she paints animals Montealegre taps into the vibrant
spiritual attributes of the cave paintings of Lascaux and
Altamira. The animals are rendered simply yet essentially
and are alive with the robust and magic energy of nature.
Similarly her figures are always spiritual beings, ghosts or
angels bent on some divine but unascertainable quest. They
seem to quietly glow – many of them have wings.
Montealegre’s landscapes are always actually the terrain of
dreams, indistinct and atmospheric, they are no place or
everyplace. The open, shifting cloudscape of a reverie – a
spiritual plane where Montealegre would have us play out
our meditations and reflections."
Robert Kingston
Painter, Educator
Altadena, California
"Eva's paintings evoke passion, mystery, and are an invitation to converse the unconscious... the deep work unfolds when you meet the artist. I am a proud owner of an Eva creation, at the right time, with everlasting enjoyment."
Clarice Poirier, Mental Health Professional, Collector, Santa Monica, California
"This simple abstract has a strangely calming effect even though it is bright orange and red. The artist had a simple concept and executed it simply and pleasingly."
Ilene Skeen, Juror, San Diego's Women's Caucus for Art
April 2012 Awarded First Place
April 2012 Awarded First Place
"Eva's paintings are infused with energy. Whether it pulses through the brilliant expressionistic colors of her Luminosity series or serenely flows through the paradoxically dynamic yet tranquil topographies of her landscapes and seascapes. It is the shamanic energy of a seeker. It is as if her vision strives to reveal the transformative mystery that interconnects the natural world with the inner longing for the sacred, for meaning. In this way, her work is revelatory and it is her imagination that pulls away the veil and conjures the figures and forms of worlds somehow familiar and yet unknown and unknowable. It is her imagination that illuminates the landscapes of a dream world. Here is a world of discovery and exploration. Her art is an exciting invitation into that world."
David Carmichael, Author and Sculptor, Topanga, California
"...the feel is fantasy, free spirit. A really good overall feeling in this painting"
Irving Art Association Juried Art Competition
Irving Art Association Juried Art Competition
"Big fan of Eva's extraordinary artwork! The strength of her spirit and enthusiasm for life can truly be felt and give reason to why this incredible artist is so unbelievably passionate and prolific!"
Maureen Murphy, Producer, Writer, Editor
"Eva's approach is more of a mentoring or apprentice-style which I really enjoyed. I think this kind of teaching is becoming rarer and rarer and missed in society. I saw my basic painting and drawing skills and techniques grow incredibly during this time.
Eva introduced me to many styles of painting. More importantly, Eva immersed me in the creative process. This allowed me to get in touch with my own creative energy and produce my own original works. Eva did this quite naturally and in a way that elicited my participation, tapping areas of myself that I had never reached before. I feel that I have grown tremendously as an artist during this time.
I would highly recommend Eva Montealegre whether your interest in art is professional or for pleasure. I look forward to continuing my study with her."
Janice Neuner, Painter