Deborah Eve Alastra has lived and traveled internationally throughout much of her life. Finishing high school and art classes in England, she studied Fine Arts at the Bellas Artes in Guanajuato Mexico, before completing a degree in Painting and Printmaking at the University of California at Santa Cruz. She has exhibited in California and Portland over the last 30 years. Her travel experiences, alongside her current residence in the lovely Pacific NW of the US, greatly inspire her work. She’s currently exhibiting her first solo show ‘Reflections’ with Occhi Contemporary Art Gallery and we caught up with her to discuss her work.
Deborah, thanks for taking the time to speak to us about your amazing work. How and when did you decide to fully embrace art as a career?
Since the age of 5, art has been my primary interest. Life presented itself, interrupting (but not disrupting) full-time studio work. While raising my children I both taught children’s art classes and worked in non-profits organizing free community arts programs serving low-income children after school and during the summer. Housing was tight so ,with the limited time I had to paint, it was primarily in watercolor usually on the kitchen table. Upon relocating in 2007 from California to the more affordable Pacific NW (Portland), I had my first art studio space in my house, kids grown and thus able to begin full-time studio work.
You studied Fine Arts at the Bellas Artes in Guanajuato Mexico, before completing a degree in Painting and Printmaking at the University of California at Santa Cruz. To what extent did your study at these institutions impact your early career?
As a child, I spent many summers in Mexico with my mother. I began taking art classes at the age of 7 at the Bellas Artes, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato. I fell in love with the Mexican culture; its warmth and aesthetics and felt very much at home there which attracted me as a young adult to continue my studies at the Bellas Artes. In addition to taking classes, I painted ‘pleine aire’ in the marketplaces and streets often surrounded by interested children. After a year and a half, I returned home with a portfolio of watercolors which sold quite well at shows in California. After a textile printing business in Southern California and other creative endeavors, I returned in 1981 to obtain my degree at UC Santa Cruz focusing on lithography and painting. I was thrilled with the lithography process both on stone and plates and was accepted for graduate studies in Printmaking at the Tamarind Institute, part of the University of New Mexico. The problem was I was ill from chemical poisoning having printed for two years full time in the basement of the Applied Science Building at UC Santa Cruz, without ventilation or knowledge of the dangers involved. Due to this health problem, along with the high cost of out-of-state graduate tuition, I decided instead to focus on painting and happily returned to the chemical free delights of watercolor and some nontoxic oil.
Which artist has been the most influential on your career and why?
I’m not sure which artist has most influenced my ‘career’. For me, art is more of a process than a career, but I was lucky to study with master painter/muralist, (deceased) Prof. Emeritus Eduardo Carrillo (https://museoeduardocarrillo.org/learn/about-eduardo/), UC Santa Cruz. To this day, I often utilize his past critique and suggestions in paint application, palette, and composition. I also studied with Jean Rose, now retired from teaching, living and painting in Bath, England (https://www.cocom/whats-on/jean-rose-people-parks-and-plants-p3043873). I connected with her actually in my youth while living in England and later, as her art student, I closely related to her interest in every day down to earth subject matter including street scenes, gardens, still life, landscape, painted in a somewhat Nabi / Post Impressionist style. Bonnard has been a favorite famous painter of mine for many years.
Your work reflects a deep interest in society, paying particular attention to current political and environmental issues. What draws you to this particular theme?
I only paint what I first ‘see’ or experience. Obviously, the times we are living are ever-changing, turbulent, and hard to ignore. I tend to focus on the beauty that co-exists with societies’ perils; though often subtle and not obvious to the viewer. For example ‘Resist Trump’ graffiti on a beautiful quaint antiquated wall covered with trailing lush florals and cozy cats or BLM signs surrounded by tranquil domestic scenes with gardens, children, and animals.
I’m drawn to your paintings ‘Resist’, ‘Fighting the Current’, and COVID Flowers. Please tell us more about these pieces.
During the 2016 protests in Portland Oregon, I marched when I was able; avoiding the violent factions of the protest movement. It was a natural reaction to create a small ‘Resist Series’ which includes Resist 1 and 2, several Indigenous anti pipeline protests, and several Bernie paintings after he visited Portland. ‘Fighting the Current’, ‘21 was painted directly from dream imagery which involved myself rowing at night but not able to reach the ‘village’. I think it was my own emotional response to the chaos in the world and not feeling ‘at home’ in it; however, the imagery in my dream was so beautiful I felt the need to paint it. ‘COVID Flowers’ along with a number of other ‘empty’ street scenes were painted during our sheltering in place phase of the pandemic, as the streets emptied and things stood still. I walk a lot and the silence and stillness were pronounced, sparking a reaction to paint. ‘Covid Flowers’ is another example of the co-existence I refer to above. The beautiful picked flowers in the flower shop struggled to survive while wildflowers flourished growing on the street nearby; as the air cleared and things slowed down from the worldwide pandemic.
Can you share with us your creative process and your choice of materials?
I primarily paint in acrylic now with a number of different mediums, though when the weather warms I intersperse painting outside in oils and some watercolor. Though oils present a more appealing color direct from the tube, as I always mix both colors and textures I find the water solubility of acrylic very satisfying. I paint very quickly and no longer ‘draw’ first on the canvas. I create an underpainting paying most attention to composition while contemplating color. Once I am happy with the context of the painting I begin building up the canvas with paint. The surface quality is as important to me as the content of the painting and I work both with brushstrokes and areas of glazing using multiple brushes within one canvas. I think my application of acrylic paint works well with my subject matters though I’d probably work more in oil would my studio be outside of my main house.
To date, what has been your most satisfying achievement and why?
I’d say my most satisfying achievement is every time I complete a painting, perhaps because it creates an emotionally balanced feeling; one of contentment like nothing else.
To date, what would you say have been your biggest challenges as an artist?
$$$, workspace, and currently eye issues.
What advice would you give to young artists embarking on their careers?
I’d say one should only attempt to ‘be an artist’ if one ‘has’ to and/or has financial resources available so that money is not a concern. Otherwise, I’d suggest finding a secure arts-related career that will be interesting, financially solvent, and complete one’s own artwork on the side.
What are you currently working on?
I’m completing a number of interiors (which I tend to focus on during the winter) including window views and stills. Tomorrow will be the first short trip I’ve taken since the pandemic began and I am anticipating/hoping the small northern picturesque coastal towns of the Pacific Northwest will stimulate some new work. I am hoping to travel in a year or two internationally which will indeed provide inspiration for a number of years to come.
For more information on Deborah Even Alastra’s exhibition visit our sister website Occhi Contemporary Art
Images:’Resist’ (main), ‘Fighting the Current’, and COVID Flowers, courtesy and copyright of Artist Deborah Eve Alastra
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