Introducing the remarkable hyperrealist art of Alyssa Monks

by James Lee-Tullis | December 10th 2011 | 10:15 am

DEPARTURES: The level of detail in your work is extraordinary and must require a tremendous technical proficiency and dedication. Was this artistic direction always your intention when you were first developing as an artist?



It really was a goal of mine as a young painter to paint very realistically. It was pretty frustrating, but I think with determination and a fascination with the medium itself, eventually over time the skill develops. But in the last 11 years I have been losing interest in the perfection of detail and illusion and become more interested in it's very opposite – imperfect abstraction and obfuscation of the illusion. I realise there is an appreciation for the skill I've developed and I don't dismiss that, but it is not the end, but rather a partial means to an 'end' or a finished painting, series or life's work.

Have your ever considered where your initial pursuit of this incredible realism to the point of hyperrealism came from?



I guess I could psychoanalyze myself and speculate if it was about escape or control or perfectionism or just chasing the satisfaction of doing something you're good at. Maybe all those things? Regardless, there is a lot more to making art than making it look real.

It isn't just the level of detail in your paintings which creates the sense of realism, but also the intimacy of the poses or the slight 'imperfections' that people are increasingly less likely to see in doctored photographs. Do you feel, therefore, that your approach can achieve a greater reality and, in so doing, reveal a greater truth than a photograph could?



Water has always been a recurring theme for painters and poets – often with great symbolic power attributed to the element. Can any symbolic importance be attached to water from your work?



I don't care much for symbolism. I don't mind if people attach it to my work, but it is not my intention to use water as a symbol of anything. Water is amazing. Water is fascinating. That's all, and that's enough for me.

Do you enjoy challenging your audience to find their own interpretation of your work?



It's not really ever about the audience for me, so I'm not trying to challenge anyone, except maybe myself in trying to make a good painting. I do think that heavy-handed imagery is boring and obvious and not very engaging. Overt emotional drama is figured out instantly and creates little empathy and changes nothing. I like art, films, books that make me think, rethink and change my mind. So that's how I make my work.

When a painting I'm making continues to change moods very subtly as it's coming into focus, I feel like I'm having a captivating conversation. I'm not dominating it, it's just me pushing against it and it pushes back. When the facial expression and body language is somewhat between emotions, there is room for a slight nudge of an eyelid or a lip to create a direction in the conversation. It is pretty exciting to work in that space.