72 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {home & design} MIXED MEDIA layered landscapes words by SHERYL NONNENBERG The banner on Whitney Alyssa’s website reads “inspiration, creation and interpretation” and the impact of all three is evident in her mixed-media landscapes. She has created her own technique of collage, inspired by her life in California and with an interpretation that only an artist could produce. But being comfortable with calling herself an artist took some time. Sitting in her light-filled home studio, with examples of her art on walls and tables as she prepares for an upcoming gallery show, it might be hard to understand her reluctance. “I always held the word ‘artist’ in high regard,” Whitney explains. As a child, she was encouraged to be creative in any way she wanted but gravitated toward working with fabric. She and her mother would browse through vintage clothing stores in her native Georgia, looking for dresses to take apart and refashion. “I viewed myself as a maker, or crafter or designer,” she says, describing those teenaged efforts. In high school, she wore her unique designs while taking a lot of photography classes. She loved the medium and prepared to major in photography and fashion design at the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design. Like most colleges, SCAD required that students take a wide range of classes during freshman year before declaring a major. Although Whitney loved working with film and printing in the darkroom, the shift to digital photography had begun and it wasn’t something she wanted to pursue. She decided to focus solely on fashion design, which proved to be a fortuitous move. For her senior collection project, Whitney designed six evening and bridal dresses for the annual fashion show and five were chosen to go down the runway (she wore the sixth herself). Vogue magazine editor Andre Leon Talley was in the audience and noticed her work. In a Cinderella-like moment, Whitney found herself meeting the fashion icon and being invited to New York. Once there, Talley arranged for tours of major fashion houses, including the atelier of Anna Maier, a wedding dress designer. Whitney was interviewed and hired on the spot. That lucky break kicked off Whitney’s career in the wedding dress industry. As can be imagined, moving to such a big city was exciting but also scary. “I PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: ROSA DELGADO
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