Upper West Restaurant is excited to present the art of Eva Montealegre. The artist reception took place on June 26 for her solo exhibition, “The Cosmic Experience,” which will remain on view through October 23.
Montealegre is a big fan of the restaurant. “The cuisine is chic comfort food. It’s amazing in that the dishes are familiar yet elegant so you can enjoy yourself and give your taste sensations a treat. You get a farm to table feeling about the whole meal experience.” She went on to say the restaurant is a wonderful place to show art. “The walls are huge with a beautiful old world feeling in a stylish setting.”
Montealegre paints on a daily basis and often integrates many types of media into her oil paintings. “I want to honor a vision of my life experience, my love and passion for life. That’s what I’m about. That’s who I am. If I am truthful, it is simple, clear and undeniable. I can’t resist the pull, I can’t resist the rhythm, the beat of my own heart. The charm of the Universe. I am its dutiful servant.”
Montealegre studied with artist Robert Kingston and admitted he was one of her biggest influences. In turn here is a quote from Robert Kingston about Montealegre’s art.
“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.
Eva Montealegre, It’s Alright 44” x 70” oil on canvas
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
Catch the art of Eva Montealegre in “The Cosmic Experience” on view now through October 23, at Upper West Restaurant.
Where: Upper West is located at 3321 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica 90404
Phone: 310 586-1111
Website: http://www.theupperwest.com http://www.evamontealegre.com
