Alicia Nilo’s work for her senior exhibit was beautiful. She called it “Signature” because it is something you learn, something unique. And skateboarding is similar in that way. At the Beginning of Alicia’s senior year at Fox she did not know what do would do for her senior exhibition. So what she decided was she would learn to skateboard. As she did so, Alicia took 2000 photos of other skateboards. From these photos she learned that everyone’s style is a little bit different. She finally chose a boarder who’s style she liked because of how his arms counterbalance his body while he skates. Alicia photographed him doing there three stunts we see in her work. 
Alicia let us in on a couple of things she did to all her pieces. She used 9 wood canvases she got from a hardwood store. I talked to her later and she said she wanted to work on this material because the canvas is about as thick and long and similar material as a skateboard. And while she was mixing each paint, she would start with what would be her darkest color and paint all of those darks on all of the paintings (and so on for the rest of the colors). That way all of her colors on all of her pieces were the same and would be cohesive.
I got to talk to Alicia after she presented her work and I happened to notice that one of her sequences was put in reverse (if you looked left to right I would be in reverse). She said she put the paintings like that so the boarder, who was skating from right to left, would flow more naturally to the viewers eye.
Alicia truly put a lot of time and effort into researching, planning, and executing her work for her senior exhibition. She did a beautiful job.
gfuarttalk 
I really enjoyed Alicia’s work. I was intrigued that she used wood as her canvas. The wood canvas was a nice touch that added to the fact that her exhibit was all about the skateboarding experience. I also appreciated the vibrant colors that she chose. They too brought the paintings to life and represented the fact that skateboarding is an active sport. Her paintings worked in sequence and were cohesive. She did a very impressive job.
LikeLike
The active and vibrant colors are very important to here idea. I think it represents the idea of skateboarding well. The colors in the paintings remind me of California, where skateboarding was born. My mind immediately goes to the Venice Skate Park. I wonder if Alicia meant to make these paintings almost universal representations of skateboarding.
LikeLike
I really enjoyed how Alicia blended two of her favorite passions: art and skateboarding. It was really lovely to see these incorporated with each other, especially because they are two things that are not often seen together. It just goes to show that often times, two things that seemingly don’t go together can be brought together more times than not.
LikeLike
That is a great point Cassie. I also thought that it was very interesting that she brought painting and skateboarding together. As you said, these two passions of hers are not typically placed together, which created even more of an appeal to view them and better understand the background of each painting.
LikeLike
It is clear that Alicia did a lot of research to create these paintings, which I really enjoyed. There was obviously a lot of thought put into these. Her works show an understanding of the human figure, talent in finding color schemes, painting skill, knowledge of physics and skateboarding, etc. She seems to be a very well-rounded artist which I find super inspiring.
LikeLike
I really enjoyed the graphic and clean look of her work. Then again I love the technique of the painting and contrast of the colors. It is easy to see that she put a lot of thought into the design of her work.
LikeLike
I also think design is a big element in this exhibition. Not only just the elements, but also the graphic qualities that appear.
LikeLike
I loved how her work flowed into the next movement like a small hand draw animation. I like that the colors where bring and exciting, bold just like a skateboarder.
LikeLike
I never thought about it that way! This would be a really interesting to animate! Just an idea.
LikeLike
Thanks, everyone! It is really helpful to check out all your thoughts and reflections 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the work.
LikeLike
This was a really cool show to see. I enjoyed seeing two passions being combined. I also really enjoyed how the paintings had a pop art feel to them which I have not seen in awhile!
LikeLike
It’s like John says, its important to follow your passion. I’m glad we see this in Alicia’s work.
LikeLike
I appreciate the amount of time Alicia took researching these. You can tell that she not only understands the feeling of being on a skateboard, but also the feeling of being in a skate park, and being around other skateboarders. These come across well in her paintings because of the time she invested in understanding them.
LikeLike
I think the mental energy that goes into creating art is always overshadowed and underrated. It’s so important to think first! That’s definitely something we’re learning about here in college. It’s good to see how that pans out for the seniors.
LikeLike
Alicia’s work is absolutely amazing, The use of bright colors, use of line and the subject matter make her nine pieces truly outstanding and personal. I love that she chose to become so intimately involved with skateboarding for her art and how she therefore became more intimately connected with her art.
LikeLike
I love how even the material she used reflects her main focus: skateboarding. I also love how she actually learned how to skateboard and observed how everyone has their own flair, then incorporating it into her work. It made her pieces stand out just that much more.
LikeLike
I think it is amazing that Nilo took 200 photos in order to find the right poses and tricks and styles of skateboarding that she liked best. The dedication she talked about to skateboarding really shows in her work.
LikeLike
I thought Alicia’s senior show was a great representation of how to mix something you are passionate about with creating art. I thought the research she did in order to have her show turn out the way it did was awesome, particularly the fact that she took over 2,000 photos in order to compose her pieces. I also really liked the meaning behind why she called her senior show Signature.
LikeLike
I just loved how Alicia combined two of her passions together, both skating and painting. You could tell how passionate she is about both and that she is constantly wanting to learn more and grow as not only a skater but a painter!
LikeLike
Alicia did a very nice job for her senior exhibition. Her effort shined through these works since she was able to blend her passions for art and skateboarding. I thought this series was very successful.
LikeLike
It’s interesting how even the material she painted on, the wood, is important to the theme and concept of skateboarding. I think that was a good decision.
LikeLike
As I listened to Alicia’s presentation, I found myself drawing comparisons between her process and Robert Gerhardt, the photographer who had visited Fox earlier this semester. Like Gerhardt, who travelled and lived among the people he photographed, Nilo immersed herself in the culture of her subjects for an extended period of time. Through being present among other skateboards, she gained a better understanding of skateboarding movements and the unique qualities of various skateboarders.
LikeLike
I think her research really showed in her painting because of the sense of movement that they all have. The element of curves and lines are capitalized and are what gives the sense of motion. Really cool.
LikeLike