Alea Hurst is an Atlanta based artist, who specializes in mixed media painting and drawing that ranges from the traditional to the experiential. Hurst received a BFA in Painting and BA in Business from the University of Georgia and is currently pursuing a MFA from the Savannah College of Arts & Design. In her current series, Hurst focuses on the roles of masks and reversing those roles to comment on the evolution of society. Traditionally, a mask is worn on the face to conceal or guise one’s appearance; however, in Hurst’s work the mask reveals information instead of hiding it. The masks become representative of the characteristics of the wearer’s soul or personality. Each hints at some inner strength or flaw of the person being depicted, and the traits that were wished to be kept secret are now the focus of the portrait and revealed by the mask. The artist purposely leaves the eyes, also known as “the window to the soul”, open so the viewer can peer straight in, with the notion that the subject has nothing left to hide. Hurst’s work has been exhibited at various venues throughout Georgia including Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, the University of Georgia, Beep Beep Gallery, and Mason Murer Fine Art. Her work is included in the Collection of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and is featured in the “Series 4” bottle labels for Collective Arts Brewing, a Canadian brewery that fuses the creativity of craft beer with the inspired talents of emerging artists.