Meet Alissa Crispin
From Morgan Hill, Alissa Crispin is one of the top artists in the South Bay. Her natural landscape works are some of the most aesthetically appealing works one can lay their eyes on. Meanwhile, her relationship with her community, more specifically, how she shared her art with it, and continues to share her art with it, is remarkable. On May 11th, I had the privilege of interviewing Alissa, learning more about who she is as a person, who she is as an artist, and her tips for both aspiring and current artists.
Raised in Southern California, in the city of Long Beach, Crispin has long been interested in art. From an early age, she had an enjoyment of utilizing color, which would later become the foundation of her future work painting landscapes. Meanwhile, as a youth, with the encouragement of her parents, she took art classes where she learned things like color theory and perspective in drawing and painting as well as print-making and pottery. These classes would help further cultivate her art skills and her love and passion for it. While there was not a specific person who inspired her to do art, her parents were always very encouraging and helped her keep pursuing the endeavor.
At a young age, Crispin also grew inspired by nature, which is reflective of her current work. The awe and wonder of nature was what inspired her to make art works surrounding it, with many of her earlier experiences helping spark this inspiration. When she was younger, her father purchased a telescope, allowing her to see both the stars and planets. She was also taken to Niagara Falls, where she was both enchanted by the location’s natural beauty, and further inspired to make art surrounding nature. This inspiration would soon blossom immensely when she went to college at the University of California: Santa Cruz. At the campus, in the middle of a Redwood Forest, Alissa was deeply inspired by the sights she saw. The large Redwood Trees captivated her immensely, as well as just the overall surrounding nature. Following her graduation from UCSC, she lived abroad in Spain for several years before eventually settling in Morgan Hill, where she would begin painting the rural areas and open spaces she saw."
As an artist, Crispin uses two mediums, acrylics and water colors. For her subjects, she primarily focuses on nature, painting things like landscapes, seascapes, and floral still-life. She was deeply inspired by French Impressionism, which, pioneered by Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, emphasized capturing the effect of daylight, the utilization of shadows, and the change of colors. Through her art, she has a particular focus on her brushstroke movement, while also keeping an eye on the light and shadow her pieces depict. Her use of color is used to capture a specific moment of time, while also invoking emotions from the art pieces’ audience. Though she depicts nature, Alissa has long given up on photorealism. Instead, she views her art as an artist’s interaction with a subject, allowing her to distort her landscapes in an artistic way. By doing this, it allows her more freedom, no longer constrained by the chains of reality.
With her art, Crispin has entered various art shows. Her first art show was in 2022 at Morgan Hill Open Studios event. Meanwhile, she has also entered art pieces in local county fairs and had a solo show at the Cultural and Community Center in Morgan Hill last year.
As for the future, Crispin is currently working on various projects. At the moment, she is working on a piece painting storm clouds. She also wants to create a larger piece, a collective set of paintings focused on trees. Her next art show is for South Valley Indie Arts at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center. She was also asked to create a mural for a July 4th parade American Association of University Women float in Morgan Hill.
As for Crispin’s advice for future or current artists, she suggests that they lean into the joy of art. She also finds it helpful to create small goals for artists to accomplish. As for when an artist is struggling with their work, she suggests taking breaks and doing other things. For Crispin in particular, she enjoys playing the ukulele whenever she takes these breaks. (Fun Fact: Her favorite song to play is “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac.)
All in all, it was a pleasure to talk to Crispin. Her works are absolutely incredible to look at, with some of the most eye-capturing paintings one could see. She is also quite accomplished, participating in multiple art shows in the South Bay region already. When asked what art means to her, Crispin stated how art is ultimately an expression of her wonder and emotion. Her pieces deeply reflect that, aesthetically capturing both her emotions and the world around her.
