Sebastian Alterera (Born in 1964) was born in New York City. Even though his family was financially unstable, her mother supplemented their income by selling amateur sculpture in Greenwich Village. Sebastian uses art is a means through which he communicates to his viewers his feelings about his subjects. That’s why Alterera strives to keep everything simple as she believes that making the work complex may interfere with the intended message. His mother’s dedication to her artwork, despite the lack of ample free time to pursue her creativity, and despite the expenses on materials greatly inspired and impressed Alterera at a very young age. This made him to begin to accompany his mother when she went sell her work to galleries and on sidewalks, and soon, before the age of 10, he began sketching figures himself. Five years late, his father passed away unexpectedly.
The loss impacted negatively on Alterera, both practically and emotionally: his mother decided to move the family to San Francisco to be with her parents. To cope with this new solitude and sadness, Alterera quickly took refuge into his art, which by then began to reflect the nature’s influence on the mind of humans. The ocean, mountains and architecture in and around San Francisco also became a source of inspiration and consolation for him. Alterera was accepted at the Ringling School of Art into the Bachelor of Fine Arts program. The university is in Sarasota, Florida. While here, his talent was immediately recognized, and this earned him the Best of Ringling Award for two years in a row.
