Name: How loss helped one artist find beauty in imperfection
Uploaded: 2016-10-26T15:05:59Z
Duration: 12 min 59 s
Description: Painter Alyssa Monks finds beauty and inspiration in the unknown, the unpredictable and even the awful. In a poetic, intimate talk, she describes the interaction of life, paint and canvas through her development as an artist, and as a human.

[*Smirk*](http://www.alyssamonks.com/#333_AlyssaMonks_Smirk_prints.jpg)

[*Welcome To*](http://www.alyssamonks.com/#333_AlyssaMonks_Welcome-To_prints.jpg)

[*Koi*](http://www.alyssamonks.com/#333_AlyssaMonks_Koi_print.jpg)

[*The Light Years*](http://bobartlett.com/paintings-/femme)

[*Blue*](http://www.alyssamonks.com/#333_AlyssaMonks_Blue_print.jpg)

[*Melancholy*](http://www.alyssamonks.com/#333_AlyssaMonks_Melancholy.jpg)

[*Become*](http://www.alyssamonks.com/#333_AlyssaMonks_Become_print.jpg)

[*Deference*](http://www.alyssamonks.com/#333_AlyssaMonks_Deference.jpg)

[*Synthesis*](http://www.alyssamonks.com/#333_AlyssaMonks_Synthesis.jpg)

[*September*](http://www.alyssamonks.com/#333_AlyssaMonks_September.jpg)

Painter Alyssa Monks finds beauty and inspiration in the unknown, the unpredictable and even the awful. In a poetic, intimate talk, she describes the interaction of life, paint and canvas through her development as an artist, and as a human.

How loss helped one artist find beauty in imperfection

Great personal loss shattered the illusion of control, leading to a profound shift in creative vision. After caring for her mother through terminal illness, the painter abandoned her hyper-realistic, carefully staged water scenes for raw, imperfect outdoor works, even leaving canvases out overnight to be transformed by bugs and weather. Embracing chaos allowed her to rediscover curiosity and connection, both in painting and in life. Vulnerability and acceptance replaced resistance, making space for genuine human connection and beauty in the unpredictable.