Painter Jhina Alvarado teaches at a San Francisco high school named after modernist sculptor Ruth Asawa. One might assume she teaches painting in the art department, but she teaches courses that couldn’t be much further away from blank canvases and palettes full of oil paint—AP calculus and algebra. She sees this as an opportunity, not a hindrance.
Slumber-land, oil and 22k gold leaf on wood panel, 24 x 36"
“Because it’s an arts school, the students spend about half the day in their discipline—theater, arts, music—and then the other half studying the other subjects. I have students who are incredibly creative, so it’s rewarding to show them how important it is to be smart in the arts and then also math and science. And I get to show them that lesson by being a working artist myself,” she says, adding that whenever possible she will use her own art ability to help teach and connect with her students. Then, when she gets home, the mathbooks and the calculators are abandoned for paintbrushes and paint palettes.
Alvarado has lived in San Francisco for more than three decades. The history in the city, particularly in its old neighborhoods, guides her work as an artist. “There is such a wonderful arts community here. I used to have studio space in a giant warehouse with other artists. Art was around me all the time,” she says. “But then we bought a home, so now I have a home studio that allows me to roll out of bed in my pajamas and go right to painting.”
Shared Secrets, oil and 22k gold leaf on wood panel, 36 x 24"
Many of her newest works are part of the Garden of Eden series, which focuses on the “everyday woman.” Examples from the series will be part of her newest show, Voices From the Heart, opening April 1 at RJD Gallery in Romeo, Michigan.
Her website explains the Garden of Edenseries further: “These women are not necessarily conventionally beautiful but have a beauty that goes deeper than what is on the surface. There is an inner strength I want to show, a fierceness that makes these images powerful to the viewer. These women that I see every day in my community, reflect what the real world looks like, not the white-washed, superficial beauty that can flood television, movies, media and art. These women are real. They are mothers, daughters, sisters. They are teachers, lawyers, students, homemakers, and more. I want to celebrate these women and show that every woman deserves to be portrayed in art. In the Garden of Eden, Eve was surrounded by the beauty of the garden before being cast out due to a moment of weakness, a single choice that changed everything. Much like this garden, my paintings are filled with lush flowers and foliage. They surround each figure and envelope them. They show that although there is beauty in the world, there is still danger and evil that is lurking. Some of these paintings are more symbolic with an element of danger, like the snake in the Garden of Eden. In other paintings, the danger, much like the real world, is unseen and can be dependent on a single choice, a single outcome which can change everything.”
The Gift, oil and 22k gold leaf on wood panel, 36 x 36"
The works from the series are filled with color, but the figures are painted with raw umber and white, which gives a grayscale-like quality. “Many of the figures are women and children in my community. Most of them are women of color. As a woman of color myself—I’m half Mexican and half Korean, and raising African American twins—I wanted to make sure women from my community were represented,” Alvarado says. “The series came to be during Covid, Trump, Black Lives Matter and some of the Asian hate [crimes in San Francisco]. A lot of stuff was going on and I wanted to show the underlying danger. This is how the Garden of Eden came into it. It was a beautiful place, but lurking within it was a snake and the devil.”
Mother Nature, oil and 22k gold leaf on wood panel, 48 x 36"
Some of the new paintings show snakes, but many more have birds. “I’m really into black birds right now, including crows and ravens,” the artist says. “They are beautiful but also kind of sinister, which goes back to the Garden of Eden again. I love this idea of something being beautiful but also on the very edge of danger.”
The Aftermath, oil and 22k gold leaf on wood panel, 48 x 36"
Another feature in this new batch of work are the fabrics and patterns in the clothing. Often the clothes on her figures were the clothes worn by the models during the initial photo shoots. Alvarado would give them only initial direction or instruction, and she was always pleased with the results. This “let’s see what happens” sort of approach is one that she explores throughout her process and she admits that as paintings develop on her easel she can easily get new ideas that spin the work off in new directions.
The Gift of Wisdom, oil and 22k gold leaf on wood panel, 48 x 36"
Joi Jackson Perle, RJD’s gallery director, notes that Alvarado’s work inspires viewers and connects them with their loved ones. “Now more than ever we all need and cherish our inner circle—our tribe of friends, family and neighbors—that gives voice to our community. The people that encourage and inspire us, help us heal and provide the support we need to navigate through life’s ups and downs,” Perle says. “Jhina Alvarado celebrates the power of community in her portraits of individuals whose lives are tightly woven through strength, identity and love.”
The show will remain on view in Romeo through May 5. —
RJD Gallery 227 North Main Street • Romeo, MI 48065 • (586) 281-3613 • www.rjdgallery.com
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