Alise Spinella makes abstract paintings and drawings about the body’s elusive elements (heartbeats, breath, memory) using loose grids and lots of color. Spinella was born in Sacramento, California, and raised in Koyasan, Japan. She received an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), a BA in Psychology and Computer Science from the University of California at Los Angeles, and a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her artwork has been shown both nationally and internationally in New York, Chicago, Montreal, Toronto, and Rome, and most recently at Fellows of Contemporary Art (FOCA) in Los Angeles. She is an alumna of residency fellowships at the Vermont Studio Center and Arteles Creative Center, Finland, and was awarded a California Community Foundation Fellowship for Visual Artists in 2015.  She lives and works in Los Angeles.