Douglas Alvarez's Friends

Douglas Alvarez's Page

I am...: My life is dedicated to painting and the work carries a fusion of realism with a folk art accent probably due to my upbringing as a preacher’s son and my mother’s life as a rancher’s daughter. I happily pain in a studio on a hillside surrounded by trees.

About my artwork: Wood and recycled wooden objects are my surfaces of choice. A rough and flawed surface adds an extra dimension that plays a vital role to the appearance and theme of the piece. My brush involves marrying techniques that include painting semi-realistic human subjects and within a backdrop inspired by a combination of nature and urban neglect. Wallpaper and news clipping are items I utilize to create messages and reflect a decaying urban feel. My human subjects are always painted in white with yellow, cyan and magenta streaks running from top to bottom. It is element emphasized the clownish propensity we humans possess for better or worst.

I always want to keep a sense of realism within the work by first sketching friends from pictures I have taken. On occasion, I take random shots of strangers who later appear on paintings. I also take my camera to the local zoo or long hikes for animal shots. My artistic influences include Japanese woodblock, California Impressionism, Pop art, Surrealism and Outsider art.

Artists I like: Terri Berman, Walt Hall, Gustav Klemp, Kelly Thompson, The Clayton Brothers, Sophia Louisa, Paul Torres, Jackson Pollock, Carol Powell, Airom Bleicher, Patrick Haemmerlin, Jeff Soto, Sophia Gasparian and many more.