To paint and create art is akin to breathing. I am filled with love that comes with creating art and using bright vivid colors. The motion of smoothing and blending thick paint onto canvas with a palette knife gives me a feeling of exhilaration.
Whether my work is abstract or representational, I must splash color on the entire canvas. This is how I see the world. Even when the day is gray, and full of rain, the beauty of the blues can be spectacular.
When I work with oils I am reminded of my childhood, watching my mother paint as the smell of turpentine fills the air. My mother was a professional oil painter and through her I learned to appreciate art. Although I have grown-up (a little), my healthy fascination of trees is never-ending. The tactile joy of hugging trees, touching bark, and layering leaves in collages takes me back to my youth. While studying fine arts in college, I expanded my repertoire from painting to design, sculpture, and photography.
In the past I sketched my ideas in order to begin a painting. Now I create whole photographs of my designs using 21st century photo software. When I come to a stopping point, my mother’s words serve as a reminder “to never overwork your art”. Until I know a painting is complete, each painting has a period of time hanging up to dry. Meanwhile I study every inch, looking for the depth and detail I saw in my mind. When my work is going well, I am filled with a sense of joy, purpose, and mostly of my own legacy.
Because my mind is forever swimming in a sea of paintings, I have a lifetime of work in my head. Art has a heart that goes on beating long after we have gone. It is my desire that you discover a kinship with my paintings.
Abstract Alexandra
