Alyssa's paintings are of a representational narrative genre. She portrays a specific place and time with simultaneous empathy and detachment. Monks is part of the Continuing Education Faculty at the New York Academy of Art, where she teaches Flesh Painting and Working from photographic reference. Also, she currently is an instructor at the Montclair State University. She earned her BA from Boston College and an MFA in painting from the New York Academy of Art, Graduate School of Figurative Art. At the New York Academy of Art, Alyssa studied with Vincent Desiderio, Jenny Saville, Wade Schuman, Brenda Zlamany, John Jacobsmeyer, Harvey Citron, Deane Keller, Edward Schmidt, Steven Assael, and Lisa Bartolozzi. She additionally studied at Montclair State College, the New School, and Lorenzo de'Medici in Florence. She completed an artist in residency at Fullerton College. Alyssa has been awarded the Grant for Painting from the Elizabeth Greensheilds Foundation three times and has had recent solo shows in New York and Anaheim, California. Alyssa is currently represented by Sarah Bain Gallery in Anaheim and DFN Gallery in New York.

experience.
  " Instructor, Montclair State University, NJ 2008 – present
  " Instructor, The Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, CT 2007 – 2008
  " Instructor for figurative painting and landscaping painting, travel abroad to Sienna, 2007.
  " Instructor for figurative painting, New York Academy of Art, 2003 – present.
  " Private Instructor. 2003 – present.
  " Assistant to Damian Loeb: New York, NY, 2001.
  " Various Freelance Commissions, private and public, 1999-2005.

education.
  " Graduate School of Figurative Art, New York Academy of Art: MFA cum laude 2001.
  " Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA: BA cum laude 1999.
  " Lorenzo de’Medici, Florence: Spring 1998.
  " Parsons/the New School: Painting II 1994.

publications.
  " Baldwin, Rosecrans, Come Hell by Alyssa Monks, The Morning News, online, January 2008.   " American Art Collector, May 2006.
  " Art News, May 2006.
  " Art Scene, California, March 2006.
  " Art News, March 2006.
  " Art News, May 2005. 
  " Art News, July 2004. 
  " The Panache Experience, June 2004. 
  " Angelino, September 2003.
  " Art In America, Gallery Guide, 2001-2002.
  " The New York Times, 26 May 2001.
  " The Tribeca Tribune, June 2001.
  " El Secondhand, cd cover, 1999.
  " Stylus, literary magazine. (cover & inside pages), 1999.
  " Laughing Medusa, literary magazine. (most inside pages), 1996.
  " Orb, literary magazine. 1995, 1994. 

awards.
  " New York Academy of Art Summer Exhibition, First Prize, Juried Exhibition, 2007.
  " Greenshields Grant for Painting, Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation, Quebec, Canada, 2006.
  " Greenshields Grant for Painting, Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation, Quebec, Canada, 2004.
  " Greenshields Grant for Painting, Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation, Quebec, Canada, 2003.
  " Travel Grant to Normandy, France at the Chateaux Balleroy: Forbes Foundation, 2001.
  " Academic Scholarship award: New York Academy of Art, 1999.
  " Artplosion grant: Boston College, 1999.
  " Stylus grant: Boston College, 1999.

exhibitions.
  " Flesh Painting: Sarah Bain Gallery, CA 2008 (Solo Exhibition).
  " Dangerous Women: DFN Gallery, NY 2008.
  " Summer Exhibition: New York Academy of Art, NY 2008.
  " Take Home a Nude: New York Academy of Art, NY 2008.
  " New Paintings: DFN Gallery, NY 2007 (Solo Exhibition).
  " Summer Exhibition: New York Academy of Art, NY 2007.
  " Wet: DFN Gallery, NY 2007.
  " Next of Kin: Sarah Bain Gallery, CA 2007 (Solo Exhibition).
  " An Assessment of Contemporary Figuration: David Klein Gallery, MI, 2006.
  " Dissolve: DFN Gallery, NY 2006 (Solo Exhibition).
  " Salon 2006: New York Academy of Art, NY 2006.
  " Below the Surface: Sarah Bain Gallery, CA 2006 (Solo Exhibition).
  " 10th Anniversary Show: DFN Gallery, NY 2005.
  " 7th Annual Realism Invitational: Jenkins Johnson Gallery, CA, June 2005.
  " New Paintings: Sarah Bain Gallery, CA, May 2005 (Solo Exhibition).
  " New Paintings: Sarah Bain Gallery, CA, June 2004 (Solo Exhibition).
  " New Paintings: Sarah Bain Gallery, CA, September 2003 (Solo Exhibition).
  " Figures: J. Cacciola Gallery, NJ 2003.
  " Interiors: Sarah Bain Gallery, CA, 2002.
  " Surfacing: Sarah Bain Gallery, CA, 2002. (Solo Exhibition)
  " 8x10: Sarah Bain Gallery, CA, 2001.
  " Take Home A Nude: New York Academy of Art, NY, 2001.
  " Diploma Project Exhibition: New York Academy of Art, NY, 2001.
  " Separate Visions: Sarah Bain Gallery, CA, 2001.
  " Paint the Town Red: Rene Lezard, NY, 2001.
  " NYAA Student Exhibition, NY, 1999-2001.
  " From Plaster to Master: NYAA, NY, 2000.
  " Tristan and America Exhibition, NY, 2000.
  " Credit Suisse Exhibition, NY, 2000.
  " Art Student Showcase, NY, 2000-2002.
  " MFA Exhibition: Times Square Gallery/Hunter College, 2000.