The beautiful oil paintings by the Boston artist Alayna Coverly are works with a powerful visual impact that amaze the viewer. The subjects of her portraits are wrapped in soft drapes: that gives a sense of mystery and veiled sacredness. The most elaborate textures and patterns create chromatic harmony and a certain visual variety.
“My hope is to allow people viewing my work to project memories or past bits of their lives onto my painting. My intent is purposeful ambiguity; I want my work to be a shared experience.”
The drape hides emotions: the artist wants to leave a free interpretation to her observers. Human relationships, empathy, suffocation and the alternation of fullness of scenes are opposed to the actual hidden identity of the subjects, creating a game of evocative references. The work has become part of the feminist tradition.
” During my time at Ohio University I got involved in protests after a woman was assaulted on the street where I lived. As I began going to rallies and became involved as an activist and feminist, my work transitioned to being rooted in feminism. To that end, I use the image of smothering to convey both warmth and what could be interpreted as suffocation.”
