37 feature Endless dialogue of abstract BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO At first her hands were creating small trinkets from earrings to duct tape wallets. But then Alyssa D’Anna took her creativity to a blank canvas and turned her memories and ideas into works of art. “I knew that, for some reason, the urge to make things was inside of me, but it didn’t seem to have a name or face yet,” she said. When she stepped through the doors of State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo everything changed. Majoring in studio art, with a concentration in oil and watercolor painting, D’ Anna was introduced to a professor that pushed her beyond traditional forms of painting. He would encourage students to use everything from brooms to ketchup bottles instead of brushes. This push into a new world prompted a creative explosion within D’Anna, who started to experiment with objects like rubber balls, strings and rubber bands. “It was a miniature miracle to me, finding the stories born of purely random chaos,” she said. “You could remain spontaneous, you could change your mind endlessly, you could call a panting finished without ever knowing exactly what it is.” Upon graduating, D’ Anna’s senior show sold out. She felt like she was on to something. The artist rented a studio space and her works of art came to life. She paints what she sees around her and loves to play with titles once her pieces are finished. “I think that’s one of my favorite parts of painting – coming up with a title,” D’Anna said. “I want to give viewers a context by which to read the painting, but I always try to leave plenty of ambiguity to kick start their imaginations and create their own stories.” Recently, D’ Anna has taken her next big step, moving from canvasses to bodies. She will be at various art festivals during the summer doing live body paintings. She is looking for models who would like to take part. For dates and locations on where to catch D’ Anna and her creativity, visit her Facebook page at www. facebook.com/alyssadannaart. “Everyone who looks at my paintings brings a memory with them that I could never imagine,” she said. “And I want to talk about that. I want to hear how certain colors and shapes thrown together, with an intelligent accidentalism, make you feel. Because that’s why we make art, isn’t it?” Photos courtesy Alyssa D’Anna
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