Painting

Out Of Our Element

I began taking under-water photographs while living in Puerto Rico, thinking that the distortions in perception could serve as a metaphor for the experience of living in a foreign culture. Water proved to be a unique and powerful lens that revealed hidden aspects of my subjects—I was surprised to find images of sharks, birds, trees, bugs and monsters of all sorts brought out by the reflections and refractions.

Roots

Roots an ongoing series
While painting in Puerto Rico I began playing with an image of web-like vertical drips, and when I came across one of Old San Juan’s amazing banyan trees soon after, it struck me as a likely inspiration. These enormous trees have hundreds of ropey roots that hang from their branches to the ground. Now I notice this pattern everywhere, from condensation on windows to cracks in the sidewalk. Making these paintings is very meditative, and I am intrigued by the ubiquity of the patterns.

Contact

6 S. 45th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
tel: 413-687-2016
e-mail:
www.lexrey.com
Please contact artist for purchases, commissions, etc.

Artist Bio

Alexa worked as a writer and editor for several years in different mediums, contexts, and countries after graduating from college with a degree in History & Literature. She began painting while living in South America, and then while working in a contemporary art gallery in Boston she was inspired to turn her passion into a discipline. She has studied painting and printmaking at Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, the Liga de Arte in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the School of Visual Arts in New York. She has painted portraits and murals on commission for clients in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., and San Juan, Puerto Rico, and has shown her work in Boston, Puerto Rico, New York, Western Mass, and Philadelphia. She currently resides in West Philadelphia with her husband and two young boys. To learn more, please visit www.lexrey.com.

Artist Statement

I’m intrigued by the mystery of analogous images in our environment—streaks of rust on a concrete wall that look like roots, snow banks like an ocean, water ripples like wings, and tree branches like dancing figures. I’m moved to paint subjects with this enigmatic quality, which comes to light with close scrutiny or a shift of perspective. Through my paintings I interpret an otherworldliness that permeates our surroundings and everyday experiences.