Paradise - Juan Alonso

Where is it?

Concourse A

Alonso's column can be found directly after entering the concourse from security.

About the Art

“Paradise,” explains Juan Alonso, “can mean so many different things to people. My piece is very tropical which is paradise to me, but being located at the airport, ‘paradise’ could be someone’s destination or simply coming back to the comforts of home.” Humanity is the underlying theme throughout this artist’s work, and Alonso’s passion for perceived balance, architecture, and weathered beauty that comes only from persistence is apparent in this column.

The Details

Artist

Juan Alonso

Date

2004

Medium

Mosaic column (smalti, marble, gold, vitreous ceramic)

Dimensions

Approximately 10' in circumference (3' diameter) x 17' high

Did you know?

The botanical features of this column allude to Alonso's childhood in Cuba in which his mother painted flowers on pots in the garden.

About the Artist

Alonso has exhibited in the Northwest since the early 2000s. His works are defined by his bold imagination and impactful sense of color, surface, and dimension. Creating large-scale work on canvas, panel, and paper, Juan Alonso attempts to express the fragility of being.

“As a resident of this amazing and fragile planet, I am continuously inspired by its bizarre creations and ever more convinced of our need to preserve them.” – Juan Alonso

Short Bio

Arriving in the United States exactly one month before his tenth birthday, Alonso left behind his father and two older sisters in his native Cuba. With his mother having passed away four years prior to his departure, Alonso’s life in American began with his aunt and uncle in Miami.

He made a living singing and playing guitar in Florida nightclubs from 1976 to 1979. It was after he moved to San Francisco that he sold his first two paintings to his then employer, the San Francisco Inn, thereby beginning his career in the visual arts.

In 1986 at the Seattle Center, Alonso participated in a group exhibition of Latin-American artists, igniting his interest in the advocacy for the inclusion of minority artists in Washington state. He continues to live and paint in the Seattle area.

Similar Artwork

Work by Juan Alonso

- Grounded: a color concrete design completed for the King County Housing Authority at Greenbridge Neighborhood Park in 2006.

- Sentinels: six sculptures located outside the auditorium at Chief Sealth High School serving as tribute to ancestors, teachers, and protectors.

To see more of Juan's work in the area, please visit Connected Stories below.

Paradise - Juan Alonso

Cuban-born artist, Juan Alonso draws his images of botanical forms and wrought iron designs from his cultural roots.