Lisa Alonzo

Lives and works in Brunswick, ME, USA

Artist statement

As a child I was enamored by frosting. On birthdays, I wanted that corner piece of cake and had dreams of becoming either a librarian or a cake decorator. My obsession with the sculptural nature of frosting continued in art school with my adoption of using pastry tips and cake decorating tools to create my paintings. I utilize these tools to address topics such as environmental toxins, the propaganda value of money, WW2, and whistleblowers. I enjoy using my unique painting technique to create tension. My work explores a myriad of unsavory themes and makes them more palatable by rendering them as heavily frosted confections. I am currently working on a series of still life paintings. These are meant to be especially indulgent- rich in symbolism, texture, patterns and saturated color. The overarching theme connecting my body of work is an examination of consumption- of information, goods, and our historic inability to decipher truth from fiction. By piping acrylic gel medium onto the surface with pastry bags and tips, I create an enticing visual and tactile experience for the viewer. The end result is a painting that looks deceptively good enough to eat: an abundance of peaks, starbursts, flowers, pointillistic and rhythmic dots, and ribbons of graduated color draped over decadent mounds of paint masquerading as frosting.

Artwork