As I stepped inside Alicia Dunn’s beautiful Cardiff-by-the-Sea home, I immediately knew we were going to hit it off great. The unique surroundings spoke straight to my heart, the white sofa beckoned and the refurbished wood cabinets with endless drawers called my name. Right away, I was intrigued and drawn in by Alicia’s inviting and easy-going personality. As we forayed into her sanctuary, Alicia told me she disliked the confinement of a studio, preferring instead to work out in the open. Her favorite place to create her works of art is in the hub of the house: the kitchen, where light pours in from all directions.
The table she works upon is itself a work of art, a refurbished gorgeous piece of wood, crowned with a driftwood decoration. The atmosphere is peaceful, calm, and serene and I picture it as a perfect place to create things of beauty. Alicia says she likes being in the middle of things as she works, and loves being surrounded by her children & their friends throughout the process.
Speaking of the process, you will be surprised to learn that this talented abstract artist has virtually no training, having taken only 1 drawing class and 1 painting class throughout the course of her life. Her career background includes advertising, strategic planning, & branding and it was not until she was already grown up that Alicia began to tap into her astounding painting abilities.
Shown Above: Alicia’s First Piece of Art
Having moved from Havana to Brooklyn at the age of 3, Alicia has never been hesitant of new places. In fact, she says “Every time I go to a new space, there’s new juice.” I couldn’t agree more! For example, one of her favorite works of art that she has created is titled “Stillness” and is a muted work of art that perfectly captures the clouds of a day in Del Mar. Another favorite, “The Kiss”, is an intimate painting of gray and white oils showing two lovers interlocking lips. As we chatted, Alicia herself seemed surprised to discover that several of her favorite pieces are void of bright color, as in the case of “Stillness” and “The Kiss”. Perhaps this is due to the fact that most of her work features an incredible array of colors from all spectrums of the rainbow, making the grays more rare.
Shown Above: “The Kiss”
As we discussed colors, Alicia let me in on an interesting tidbit: most of her work is painted primarily with house paint & spray paint, instead of plain acrylics & oils. As an artist that is greatly influenced by nature and street art, she loves the wide array of colors that house paint offers. In addition, the medium is helpful as Alicia creates a lot of custom pieces, working with individuals by seeing their space and making recommendations for fitting colors and sizes of artwork.
As she showed me around her house, I could tell that Alicia has an interest in all types of interesting and creative objects, from collecting rustic treasures (a self acclaimed lover of rusty surfaces) to unique vintage jewelry pieces that we looked over as she joked “You never thought you’d end up in my closet when you first got here, did you?” No, I didn’t, but I utterly loved the experience!
This incredible abstract painter and I spoke of life & creativity, and Alicia told me that what truly brings her the most joy is “realizing how simple you can live and how truly little one needs.” The love of her friends, family, & 2 adorable black dogs, and the liveliness of having her kids and their friends throughout her home is what this artist thrives off. I left her home feeling inspired and beyond happy to have made a friend of such an intriguing, gifted, and in-tune artist.
Visit Alicia Dunn online at: aliciadunnart.com!
Alicia’s incredible artwork is available directly through her, through Mixture Home (a mecca for modern furniture and home accessories) in Little Italy and will be shown at The Mission Restaurant in North Park until July 8th: make sure to stop by and view the incredible abstracts featured at this local eatery!
