A note from the artist about the paiting:

"Water Horse," is a 16" x 20" acrylic painting. Some time ago I paid a visit to my Shamanic Reiki Master for some spiritual healing. During our meeting several spirit animals were vividly present, including the Hippo, also known as the "Water Horse." The hippopotamus is sacred in both Egyptian and African traditions. The Hippos' wisdom includes power, emotional depth, creation, imagination, healing, proper use of aggression, ability to move gracefully through emotions, protection of family, mother-fury when needed, birth of new ideas, lucid dreaming, and spirit contact. Also, according to her, Hippos are associated with the ancient realm of birth, power, creation, imagination, and healing. Hippos are the second largest mammal on earth. This strong mammal can help guide us in grounding ourselves so we can face and break down negative emotional issues. With the power of water, they are a link to the spiritual, artistic and healing realms of water.

About Jac Alva

Jacqueline is a mixed media artist, an abstract expressionist painter, as well as an independent curator and art instructor. She is the founder of Healing He(art) with Jac Alva Art, a brand that combines art-making, art history, art therapy, and social-emotional learning into a series of unique classes, tailored for all ages, in Orange County, California. Teaching sites include Lowell School District, Stay Gallery, Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center, and Fountain Valley Senior Center. She also offers Paint & Sip sessions for special events.

Jac holds an M.A. in Modern Art History, Theory, and Criticism from Azusa Pacific University. With an emphasis in food imagery within modern and contemporary art, Jac’s capstone paper involved analyzing a banana installation, Cabbage and Kings (2015), by Honduran artist Leonardo González. In “Deconstructing the Cultural Value of the Banana: Understanding Leonardo González’s Cabbage and Kings (2015),” she analyzed the artist’s efforts in addressing the exploitative nature of agribusiness and the United Fruit Company’s (UFCO) legacy of colonial imperialism. Jac argues that González provides agency to the banana, a fruit that has lost its voice in the 20th century and beyond due to UFCO’s predatory business practices. In analyzing the sociopolitical commentary of González’s banana themed art installation, Jac realized that she wanted to expand upon the neglected discourse of food within art history.

Currently, Jac is completing her year as The Muckenthaler Cultural Center’s 2023 Artist in Residence. Her residency involves teaching specialized art lessons, hosting academic seminars, expanding her abstract artworks portfolio, as well as creating food-oriented artworks for her upcoming 2024 food themed art exhibition at the center.