Art in my Life

I was attracted to art from a young age. My parents took me to museums and art exhibitions in Paris, New York, and London.

  • Outdoor work for “Coke” in London
  • With the artist, Sir Peter Blake
  • Ed Ruscha signs a book for me
  • Chatting with Sculptor Anthony Gormley

I have been lucky to have met many contemporary artists. Those experiences inspired me to want to learn how to paint. I wanted to see how it feels to be an artist. 

One day, I met Chuck Close, a photorealist, who is in a wheelchair. I was so excited because he dedicated his book to me, “For Alexia, ‘keep the faith’, good luck, stay strong and never give up, love, Chuck Close”. I thought if he can be a successful artist with a disability, so can I!

  • Getting in a London taxi
  • Relaxing in the student housing lounge

I began doing art at university in London, getting my degree in Visual Communication. I started out with drawings. You can see some in my book, Steps of Life: Exceeding Boundaries.

I painted more after university and after coming to Naples, Florida in 2011. I wanted to use the skills I learned at university to express my feelings by painting. I use different colors to explain how I feel. 

Bright colors make me feel happy. For example, red is the color of love. Dark colors make me feel more serious. 

In the beginning, I used stencils with different shapes to paint hearts, angels, butterflies, fish, flowers. That’s because it was easier for me. I did not know how to feel free with my hands. It was the beginning of my artistic life. As I got more comfortable, I stopped the stencils and used freehand and my imagination more. I started with watercolors and evolved to acrylics. Recently, I have been creating mixed media paintings with resin. My art became more abstract.

“Ocean”

Since the “Tearless” exhibition was in New York, I wanted to use subjects from where I live. Ocean, Sand, Palms are very Florida. Yes, there are Starry Skies, Clouds and Sunsets in New York, but the clarity of the sky is very special in Florida! Of course, Celebration of Life can be universal! I wanted to bring Naples to New York!