The inherent delicacy of wax encaustic and the fine lines of the graphite drawings support Jhina Alvarados depiction of the quiet, fragile side of nature. Gently falling leaves, brittle twigs, and small song birds are drawn in exquisite detail are set against large negative space of layered wax that is transparent colour and luminous whites.
Providing the viewer with strong inroads into her paintings, Alvarado selects symbols that are both personal and universal in their significance, echoing a belief that the audience brings as much to a painting as the artist. Countering to the familiar is Alvarado’s complexities in method, combining wax encaustic and her skillfully executed graphite drawings. Often times, Alvarado includes numbers in her paintings which reflect her obsession to categorize and count objects. This need of order reflects her personal anxiety towards chaos, but also speaks to a broader social condition to compartmentalize. Patterns and repetition are established in her paintings, adding a sense of security in rhythm of said objects.
Jhina Alvarado is a native Californian and has lived in San Francisco for the past 14 years. Initially drawing and painting at a very young age Alvarado forsook formal training as an artist, in favor of her pursuit of mathematics during college. Alvarado enjoys using a variety of different mediums when painting, although her predominant mediums are acrylics or encaustics. Alvarado has exhibited across the United States from San Francisco to New York.
