Artist Statement | Alessia Sersanti

My work explores what exists beneath the visible surface — the emotional undercurrents, remembered landscapes, and quiet tensions that shape our inner life. I am interested in atmosphere rather than depiction, in what lingers rather than what declares itself.

Trained in the discipline of Renaissance technique and guided by an intuitive approach to abstraction, I move between structure and instinct. I am drawn to contrast: softness against weight, stillness within movement, light emerging from darkness. Botanical forms and shifting fields of color appear throughout my practice — not as illustrations, but as vessels for presence, resilience, and transformation.

Working primarily in oils and acrylics, I build each painting through layers — applying, removing, and allowing the surface to evolve. Texture becomes memory. Color becomes tension. What remains is a record of both intention and surrender.

My visual language is shaped by the architectural gravity of Rome, the light and terrain of the Pacific Northwest, and the sensory imprint of travel. These geographies inform how I understand space — as both physical and psychological.

I paint to create a moment of pause. A painting, for me, is not an answer but an opening — a space where viewers may encounter their own associations, memories, and quiet recognitions.

If the work holds you longer than expected, then it has begun its conversation.