More Favorites

One of my most favorite paintings that I did recently was one that my dad asked me to paint for him to go in his studio space. Being a die hard surfer and lover of all "things ocean" he asked me to do a simple painting of a wave, (a left of course) and the final product turned out great, espcially with all the texture that you can see on the surface.


Another favorite piece that I have is a large painting that was chosen to be a poster for the Portland Women's Resource Center. The posters were sold to raise money for the program which was pretty cool. The orginal painting is collage on wood with acrylic painting over the collage. I loved this particular piece and I really loved that it could be used for a cause that I really believed in.

Collage Favorites

I have always loved to work in collage and I love the way that layers look. When painting, I often write or collage on my wood or canvas and then paint on top of it. I find that this adds a lot of texture as well add a sense of mystery. I carefully decide what areas of the back ground collage I want to show through and be revealed through the top layer and image. I use all sorts of collage material- movie tickets, receipts, notes, list, journal entries, newspaper articles and sometimes even trash!

Whimsical Favorites

Whimsical is often my favorite theme to create with, I have always been inspired by folk art and outsider art. For years I have painted and drawn character that show up over and over again- many times women and often taken from my own life- people I know, pets, and memories. These whimsical paintings are always full of color and fun and often are a narative about my own life. These are just a few of my whimsical favorites.

My Life- My Art-About me

So for those of you out there who don't know anything about me...my name is Alisa Burke and by day I currently work at the .University of San Diego as a Marketing Coordinator. By night- My husband and I live on campus in upper classman dorms and participate in a program called Wisdom for the Real World. The program selects USD faculty and staff to live and mentor students in hopes of preparing them for life after college. In exchange for free rent and some other perks, I work about 10-15 hours per week in the evenings on everything from putting on workshops to having our home open for student to drop in
It has really been an amazing and crazy experience!!
I also work as much as I can as a freelance artist, art and the creative process is my life. It keeps me happy and healthy and grounded. I have been doing everything from workshops to commission projects to handmade ornaments for the holidays. I currently have my hands in all sorts of stuff and one day hope to retire from the day job so I can concentrate full time on art.