Alaina Kalbfell
Alaina Kalbfell is a New Jersey-based painter who creates surreal, otherworldly figures, faces, and spaces. Through the figure, Alaina explores themes of identity, emotion, mental health, dreams, and the subconscious. Alaina’s paintings use a technique of staining raw canvas and working with a wet-on-wet process to create dreamy, atmospheric, and emotive figures. Her work balances abstraction and figuration, creating images of familiar yet unknown beings. In 2022, Alaina earned her BFA from the University of the Arts in Fine Arts with a concentration in painting and drawing and a minor in art education.
Collect Bean: If you had to describe your work in only three words, what would they be?
Alaina Kalbfell: Reverie, Atmospheric, Gaze
Collect Bean: Where are you currently finding inspiration?
Alaina Kalbfell: I’ve always been inspired by daydreams and everyday life's emotions and expressions. Lately, though, hair has captured my attention - how it moves, folds, and flows, almost like it’s expressing its own emotions. It’s become a current fixation in my work!
Collect Bean: What role does color play in your practice?
Alaina Kalbfell: Color in my practice is deeply intuitive, reflecting my emotions at the moment. I love to experiment with the process of how colors interact, almost as if they are dancing with each other. Colors sometimes blend seamlessly into vibrant, saturated hues, while other times create a messy, muddy mix. I usually limit myself to 2-3 colors, though I sometimes add more as I feel. Colors are essential to my paintings' dreamy atmospheres and faces – using colors that are not true to real life but more so otherworldly. I love color!
Collect Bean: How does your painting process look like from start to finish?
Alaina Kalbfell: My process starts with a cup of tea, music, and a daydream. I spend some time stretching canvases and then take a break to see my pet bunny - equally important steps in the process. I take a deep breath, grab a spray bottle filled with water, and then drench the canvas. From there, the paints come out, and I go for it! Sometimes, I will take photos to reference face angles or expressions, but other times, I will intuitively paint until something appears. I paint using a wet-on-wet technique, staining the canvas with acrylic paint and slowly building up shapes, colors, and images. Since the canvas is wet, I will often need to wait for it to dry before starting another layer, or else I risk losing the shapes and forms I had just painted. I layer and blend, adding more detail to every painting stage. Eventually, a figure, face, or space emerges on the canvas like magic. I never really know how a painting will turn out or how long it will take, making the process exciting!
Collect Bean: What is one of your current goals as an artist?
Alaina Kalbfell: My current goal is to keep creating – to be curious, stay motivated, take risks, trust myself, and allow my work to evolve. :-)
