Courtesy Alcantar (top) builds a storm in ‘Hashem.' He says the storm is a metaphor for the sublime. ‘All Hallow's Eve' (left). In other works, Alcantar depicts superheroes in non-superhero stances. Alcantar’s ‘Let It Go’(right) wall painting. His father’s death inspired some of his work.

WHO: David Alcantar, 29

MEDIA: Paint, ink, pencil, collage, video

BEST KNOWN FOR: Exploring “the mystery of the sublime,” said Alcantar. His work in the current exhibit “Ampersand” features landscapes dominated by powerful storms created with sweeping brushstrokes; he occasionally incorporates quotes from “The Great Gatsby” and symbols used in weather mapping. The work was inspired by the death of his father, among other things, but that's not important for the viewer to know, Alcantar insists. “The imagery of the storm is a metaphor for this other thing, this larger thing, this sublime thing,” he said. “The sublime is about beauty and one's place within the world. It's not those events that the paintings are about but that feeling. That sense of knowing and not knowing at the same time, of feeling and not feeling, of understanding and not wanting to understand.”

He's also working on a series of paintings of superheroes that don't look like superheroes at all; the figures are curled up in a fetal position or slumped, seemingly defeated. Alcantar is exploring the definition of hero, how one becomes heroic, and whether heroism is important is contemporary society. “I think we misinterpret their heroism as a result of their physical makeup, when really the most heroic aspect of them is their humanity, their ability to understand the trials, the limitations of what it is to live and to overcome those, either physically or intellectually,” he said.

BACKGROUND: Born in Laredo, Alcantar grew up in San Antonio. He earned his BFA at the University of Texas at Austin and his MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

PAYING THE BILLS: Alcantar is an adjunct instructor at San Antonio College and a tattoo artist.

CHECK HIM OUT: “Ampersand,” a two-artist show with Albert Alvarez, runs through Dec. 14 at Bihl Haus Arts, 2803 Fredericksburg Road. The artists will give a gallery talk at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1. Or see Alcantar's work at davidalcantar.com.

Jessica Belasco | 210SA Contributor