Alex is a refreshing artist, who uses her own quirks to create pieces that are almost as intricate and endearing as herself. Her labyrinthine flare is not only a gift for the eyes, but a gift for the mind. Alex's inspirations cannot be categorised under Art as a topic. Instead, the people or concepts she finds interesting will feature on canvas, exactly as they are in her mind. Whether or not this directly relates to the mainstream perception of said object, is left in the eyes of the beholder.
"I wouldn't be me without Art"
Art and drawing have always been massive parts of Alex's life. The twenty-one year old doesn't consider there to be a beginning, only a being: "There was never a point where I sat and thought ‘you know what? I’d like to start drawing’, I never had chance to think that, because it’s just always been a part of me for as long as I can remember."
She is an ever-changing entity, proving to be a fantastic subject for her own work: "I’m not self-obsessed or anything, I just enjoy drawing and painting myself as I change so much. I can look back on [a certain portrait] and see all the things that were in my head when I was making that particular piece of work". Alex doesn't just see what's directly in front of her: "I see memories and thoughts; words and songs."
As she works, Alex travels to many different places, both internally and externally. Escapism manifests itself: "I enjoy being able to shut everything out while I create something new."
Going back to her countryside home in Ackworth, West Yorkshire - where she grew up - always sparks new ideas. The use of multi-colour and multi-platforms allows her to open herself up, building an identity which mirrors her compassionate self and internalised lust for the natural world. "I am inspired a lot by nature, which often finds its way into my creative works. Also, lots of different people inspire me, but someone who inspires me more than most has to be Ezra Furman, who I have recently started a coloured pencil portrait of."
The piece below is Alex's largest, most time consuming work to date: "I had to laser cut hundreds of tiny paper butterflies which I nailed one by one to the wall above my portrait...The piece was supposed to represent me and all the thoughts, ideas and memories that fill my head on a daily basis."
Alex not only uses white canvas to express her creativity - her body is her canvas too: "I have a sunflower on my arm purely because I love sunflowers... I also have a piece by one of my favourite artists, Keith Haring, on the same arm as my sunflower. On the other arm I have a desert scene.. with the constellation for Virgo in the sky as it’s my star sign.
She also has a crow skull inked into her upper arm: "I decided to get [it] because when I was 8 years old, I found the skeleton of a crow in my garden and kept it. I think this is where my interest in animal skulls and taxidermy stemmed from."
The Dream is to become a tattoo artist: "I’ve wanted to be a tattoo artist ever since I was about 14 but put myself off the idea as I thought you had to have lots of tattoos to become one and I didn’t want any. 7 years later however, and my arms are filling up pretty fast!"
"My favourite colour is yellow, like a sunshine-orangey yellow. It makes me feel warm."
Find Alex on the following sites:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ap.illustrates/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/alpaddy