Jaclyn Alderete was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where her passion for art began at a young age. She began using oil paint as a teenager, soon discovering its expressive quality both a challenge and catalyst for further exploration. After moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2001, her interest in nature led her to draw connections between the natural world and the human experience. Through artistic enquiry, she found the resiliency in the power of both nature and humanity to overcome tribulations. Instead of focusing on shortcomings and the inevitable impediments to the human journey, she illustrates that flaws can lead to novel paths of understanding.

Using her figurative depictions and expressive brush strokes to convey the uniquely human spectrum of emotion, she further commands the impression of the viewer through painterly techniques which serve to unsettle the composition. Subjects are often simultaneously distinct from, and merged with, their environments, as part of the figure or background are blurred while other parts are clearly defined. Accompanying her inquisitive and thoughtful figures is multi-faceted symbolism. Among her favorite subjects are birds, insects, fish, flowers, plants, and moving water. Many represent empathy, fragility, vision, and our ever-changing existence. Her use of a broad and muted palette along with powerful contrasts produces a deeply contemplative quality, which, when interrupted by brief flashes of color, informs the viewer’s perception of the motif. Jaclyn has shown in galleries nationwide including The Modern Eden Gallery, Cactus Gallery, Flower Pepper Gallery, Abend Gallery, and more. She continues to create art on a daily basis. Her hunger for understanding and interest in the strange and beautiful serve as her impulse to further develop her metier.