Shrines and skeletons: Samo alum paints the way

Sintra MartinsStaff WriterThe Roberts Art Gallery opened its doors Thursday, Oct. 27 to reveal the Día de los Muertos art show, featuring work from Samo students, incoming freshmen from John Adams Middle school and a Samo alum: Daniel Alonzo. The latest installment of this annual exhibition displays colorful works that draw inspiration from the traditional Mexican holiday The Day of the Dead.After Samo, Alonzo focused his time on landscape and mural painting, completing his most famous work, “Whale of a Mural,” a mural on Ocean Park Boulevard and 4th Street.According to art teacher Tania Fischer, this is Alonzo’s first exhibition featuring his portrait work.“For him, it’s a new direction,” Fischer said. “It’s been a journey of creating new material.”Alonzo has won the Hollywood Forever Day of the Dead altar competition three years in a row with a few of his previous paintings featured at Samo.In the past, Alonzo has created vivid landscapes of Santa Monica, but after Hollywood Forever, his style changed.“I think im going to do some more paintings, but I think I will maybe hopefully get back to landscaping. Artists change,” Alonzo said.Alonzo’s main passion is painting images of Santa Monica, his hometown.A descendant of the old Santa Monica pioneer family Casillas, Alonzo mixes his three passions in his work: art, Mexico and Santa Monica.Alonzo created a painting specifically for Samo, entitled “Catrina Azul,” which was featured in the art show.According to Fischer, this is his first professional portrait."Catrina Azul" is an elaborate portrait of an anonymous woman with the face of a skeleton, decked with traditional Mexican jewelry and clothing. Her hair is tied back in a neat, simple bun, highlighting the expression on the skeleton’s face.Alonzo’s smooth blending of colors gives a beautiful sleek look to the woman and the vivid colors make it pop.Alonzo did not stop at “Catrina” though.He created nine other works of art for the Dia de los Muertos: “Mystical Offerings,” “Mi prima yo,” “Personal altar,” “Matrimonio de Ingracia Casillas,” "Moment of silence,” “Oregano, Rabanos y Limon,” “Ofrenda de nuestro cultura,” “Frida” and “El Pescador.” These paintings were put up for sale at prices ranging from $700-$3,600.The exhibit was moved to the Pico Youth Family Center celebration on Nov. 2, and closed at Highways Performance Space on Nov. 6.Aside from Alonzo’s inspired paintings, Samo students have dedicated the beginning of the year to creating the exhibit, including a ‘Thanks For...’  project, allowing students a one by one foot canvas, and free creative reign.In addition to the ‘Thanks For...” projects, colorful shrines were placed against the north and south walls of the Roberts Art Gallery to commemorate the passed.Reflecting Alonzo’s “Catrina Azul,” ceramics students molded and decorated individual skulls in the traditional Día de los Muertos style.Senior Kadar Vernes created his own twist on Día de los Muertos.“I was inspired by my own imagination and style that I’ve carried and improved over the past few years. I knew I had to make a sort of ‘Thank You’ piece, so I decided to make it funny, unpredictable and strange because those are some of my favorite aspects of art,” Vernes said. smartins@thesamohi.com