My name is Alissa Rindels, I am 24 years old, and I am currently a student of Art Instruction Schools and it is working out wonderfully for me. It has made it much easier for my unique styles and techniques to grow, which was always quietly discouraged in traditional education, especially here in Iowa, where mundane landscapes are the norm and certainly not religious abstract or high fantasy.
    My main influence artistically is Brom, and I always keep in mind his idea that it is not the technique that is especially important, but the end result. I love working with many materials: Pastels, ink, oil and acrylic paint, watercolor, pencil, etc. and so I try not to have a rigid plan when I am working on a piece, but focus mainly on flow and color to see where the medium and current takes me. For me, it is the most exciting, and satisfying, to watch something happen in front of you that you were not expecting, but that you can be pleasantly surprised with and proud of.
    I believe that art should not be judge solely on the artistic know how or technique execution, but by what emotion the flow of colors and subject carries for the artist and his/her viewers. That is what art is meant to be after all, a vessel of emotions, thoughts, or dreams. Nothing is more rewarding, than for a viewer to tell you how your artwork makes them feel, or what thoughts it brings to mind.
    Everyone who knows me, knows that Brom is my hero, and he is a large influencing factor in my art, especially when I am getting discouraged. Some other artistic influences of mine are Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, Justiniano etc.