Jhina Alvarado


Mother’s Day, 2012, encaustic and oil on panel, 30 x 30 in.

JoJo the Wonder Dog, 2012, encaustic and oil on panel, 30 x 30 in.

Two Guys, One Pipe, 2011, encaustic and oil on panel, 30 x 24 in.

Teens at the Beach, 2012, encaustic and oil on panel, 24 x 24 in.

Sitting in the Shadows, 2011, encaustic and oil on panel, 24 x 24 in

Every Dream is a Wish, 2011, encaustic and oil on panel, 24 x 24 in.

Monkey Bars, 2011, encaustic and oil on panel, 30 x 24 in.

County Fair, 2011, encaustic and oil on panel, 30 x 30 in.

Artist Statement

In my series, titled “Forgotten Memories”, I use oil paints to depict the untold stories from long forgotten photographs. I paint these images on wood panels using a considerable amount of white space with the images cropped out of their environment, creating a sense of unbalance and emphasizing the need to focus on the individual’s memory, rather than the whole picture. I blend the white areas from the images with the negative spaces of the panel to create tension and abstraction of each delineated line. Since many memories are shared, the identity of the person within each memory is inconsequential. The eyes are blocked out so that the viewer can take part of each memory as if it were their own. The painting is then covered in encaustic wax to add an antique photo look and dream-like feel to each piece. Because many memories are unclear and somewhat “fuzzy”, the wax also obscures the images as if the viewer, themselves, were trying to recall a past event, yet could not remember all of the details.

Jhina Alvarado’s Website




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