Juan Alonso, painter

Juan Alonso left his native Cuba on March 2, 1966, exactly one month before his tenth birthday. He left behind, aside from material possessions, his father and two older sisters. With his mother having passed away four years earlier, his life in America began with his aunt and uncle in Miami, Florida.

He made a living singing and playing guitar in Florida nightclubs from 1976 to 1979 until he moved to San Francisco, where he lived until 1981. After returning to Florida and living in Key West for nine months, he moved to Seattle in May of 1982. With music now on the back burner, interest in painting and drawing became the main focus in his life.

Alonso's work has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the U.S., Canada, and Latin-America. He is represented in the northwest by the Francine Seders Gallery. He has been awarded an Artist Trust GAP grant, an Artist's Residency at the Centrum Foundation, Special Project grants by 4Culture and the city of Seattle's Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, a Northwest New Works Grant by On the Boards for a collaboration with theater artist Susy Schneider, the Behnke Foundation's "Neddy" Award, and was named PONCHO's 2007 Artist of the Year.

Alonso considers humanity, the driving force in his work. "The human condition, our fragile existence on this planet, the way we relate, love, isolate, and unnecessarily damage ourselves and the world we live in are fascinating topics, no matter how they are ultimately expressed".

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• painter
• juan
• alonso
• cuba
• seattle

[Cubanheadbanger]

what?!idiot!

[art4artsake66]

Very interesting, I quite enjoyed the imagery of balloon animals and creepy shadows, thanks for sharing

[minbark]

Wow. What a great documentation of your life, influences, and work. Thanks for sharing.

[rizzin2thetop]

Thanks for sharing this story...

[jp1989at]

you're ridiculous

he is great but I'm cuban and cuban artist are not usually great

[rictit]

Cuban artists usually are great.

[mayrami212]

Me encanto la entrevista muy interesante, pero sobretodo su arte, felicidades!

[surfergirlfun]

Juan Alonso is an inspiration to anyone who wants to make a difference in this world. He is truly a free person, someone who takes risks and gives the world the most valuable gift of all, his self. Thank you Juan for being the person that you are and living life authentically.

[cobracutie4you]

i absolutely love this interview, the artwork, everything you have to say, how your father has inspired your work...its wonderful!