About My Style - Fine Art by Alexandra

About My Art and Style Development

My artistic journey has evolved through a series of distinct phases, each marked by significant changes in style, technique, and emotional expression. This progression reflects not only my exploration of color, texture, and form but also personal experiences that have influenced my work over the years.

EXPRESSIVE & BOLD

This era marks a period when I was predominantly focused on color and texture. Paintings created during this time burst with a vivid, almost fauvist palette characterized by pure, highly saturated colors. The texture of the paintings features bold, lively, and expressive brushwork. The flow of the compositions is spontaneous and energetic.

DIVERTIMENTO SERIES

During this period, I began my Divertimento project, which encompasses 99 small-format mixed media paintings created in an expressive style. Divertimentos are mostly lighthearted and designed to please and amuse viewers, although sometimes they contain peculiar messages and concealed symbols. The paintings depict scenery or events encountered during my travels.

TRANSITIONAL ERA

The Expressive Bold era paved the way for the subsequent transitional period that led to the layering style. During this time, I remained immersed in texture and saturated colors, but the compositions became more fluid and the shapes less prominent. Colors were blended directly on the canvases during the creative process. I also began employing new “painting” tools beyond traditional brushes, with my favorites being old credit cards.

TEXTURED LAYERING

During this period, my art naturally progressed toward purely abstract surfaces. I was fascinated by the work of Gerhard Richter, a German contemporary painter well-known for his “squeegee” painting technique. By utilizing the flat surfaces of tools such as palette knives and old credit cards, I achieved a similar textural effect to Richter’s use of a squeegee. The compositions of my paintings became more homogenized, and the shapes and forms that were prominent in my previous work disappeared.

ACHROMATIC LEGACY

This was not a happy time, as I became chronically ill, which drastically changed my life. After some time, when I was finally able to return to my studio, I realized that every aspect of my artistic process had been altered. I had to find ways to cope constructively: to combat frustration and stay positive. A radical change occurred in my emotional state—frequent depression prevented me from using the lively color palette I was accustomed to. I had to work through this. My paintings from this period were created with a subdued color palette and became more meditative, serious, and restrained. At times, my art felt as if it no longer belonged to me. However, I discovered that not only the quiet palette but also the variety of materials I incorporated into my artwork and collages excited me, and I have continued exploring this direction intermittently to this day.

SHAPES REOCCURRENCE

Another adjustment I had to make due to my illness was altering the size of my substrates, as I was no longer physically able to handle large canvases. I began working on a much smaller scale, using canvas, wooden, and paper substrates. As I progressed in my recovery, I found myself incorporating more colors into my previously monochromatic palette while continuing to employ a variety of elements in my work. I was surprised to discover a new, evolving style filled with a wide range of shapes, enhanced by the depth and richness of glazes.