Whopple.com

Today’s Artist Interview Is With Alexandra Rose

Whopple: How long have you been an artist?
Alexandra: I would say I’ve been an artist my whole life really. I’ve always been interested in all forms of art and anything creative. As long as I can remember I’ve always had a paintbrush or a pencil in my hands. I’ve been working professionally as an artist for 4 years now and I couldn’t be happier with my decision to put myself out there and do what I love!

Whopple: Tell us about your first attempts to be creative.
Alexandra: My first attempts started as most peoples do…on the walls and floors and basically any other surface I could put a color stick to! I was always innovative in the type of backgrounds and mediums I would attempt to use at an early age. Markers on the wall, crayons on the dinning room table, sometimes I used food on myself, and my favorite…paints on the carpet! But my mom was a good sport about it all and I was never really punished for expressing myself.

Whopple: Do you make a living with your art?
Alexandra: Like most artist I am working toward being self sufficient with my passion. But they don’t call it “starving artist” for nothing so I do have another job. I’m working toward a goal of being a thriving artist instead of a starving one.

Whopple: How many hours a day do you create?
Alexandra: That’s a hard question to answer. I work full time so that limits the amount of time I have to create during the week; however, I do find ways to create while at work! I will play with ideas and sketch during my downtime. I’m always doodling and daydreaming! So the creative thought is always there even if my time is limited. Over the weekend is when I get to really spend some time creating and actually laying things down on canvas.

Whopple: How did you pick your creative medium?
Alexandra: I played with every kind of medium until I landed on Acrylic. It was the only medium that gave me the harsh contrast I needed to create my style, while still being bright and easily textured. But I often use other mediums in my work. I have been known to mix spray paint with acrylic, as well as watercolors, charcoal, pencil, pastels, and even glitter. I try to work with as many different mediums as I can in order to constantly expand my horizons.

Whopple: What are your inspirations?
Alexandra: I am heavily inspired by music and fashion. But mostly I would say that my inspiration comes from observing human nature. Because I do mostly portraits, I have a natural curiosity about people. I like to try and capture a part of who they are on the canvas, but in order to do that you have to watch and wait. So I’m a people watcher. I get more ideas and inspiration from going out and seeing what people are doing, wearing, who they are with, what kind of music they like, who they choose as their friends, etc. than anything else.

Whopple: How do you recharge when your creativity hits the wall?
Alexandra: When I’m feeling creatively drained or blocked, I try to step back and see what the bigger problem is. Often times other things in my life will affect my art in a very profound way. Stress KILLS my creative drive! There are a number of things I do when I’m trying to “clean the gutters.” Meditation is one of the big ones. I will sit in silence and try to clear everything out of my mind for as long as I can. I also will just simply take a break from it all. I’ve found that just taking a little time away from my creative work helps to recharge. During my time away I try to stay surrounded by art. I will go to the art museum or to local galleries just so I can be around it and hopefully get inspired. But it’s never long before I feel like I need to paint something new, or I have a brilliant idea I want to try and make work.

Whopple: What was your first job?
Alexandra: My first job was one in the art field. I worked at a small bead and beading supply store. I spent most of my time helping people pick out unique beads to turn into jewelry. I also created many custom pieces of jewelry for customers. It was a good experience for me in many ways. But the best thing I took away from that job is that now I can fix my jewelry when it breaks!

Whopple: What are your favorite snacks when you are creating?
Alexandra: I try not to eat too much junk food but I am guilty of indulging when I’m hard at work. I really love those little gummy cherries. But my number one MUST HAVE for creating is a cold bottle of Ooba. It’s this really amazing hibiscus beverage that I discovered at a local natural foods store. It’s bubbly and yummy and oh so good! It comes in a lot of mixed flavors but I always get the hibiscus and orange mix. YUM!

Whopple:
What gives you hope in the world?
Alexandra: Rock stars and candy canes! LOL.

Whopple: What do you wish you could do?
Alexandra: Honestly, there are a lot of things I wish I could do. I wish I could write music. I wish I could get on an airplane without having a panic attack. I wish I could travel more (kind of ironic considering my last statement). I wish I could play the guitar. I wish I could make myself invisible whenever I want! Like I said, lots of things.

Whopple: What are your artistic goals?
Alexandra: As I mentioned before, I would like to be a self sufficient artist. But I don’t really want much. I love to have gallery shows, but my first priority is not making money from them. It is to share a part of my soul with the world. Being self sufficient to me does not mean being famous. It means being comfortable and being afforded the time to do what I love as a career…something most people never get to experience. I just want to be happy!

Whopple: What has been your most exciting moment as an artist?
Alexandra: Oh my goodness. My first show! Without a doubt! I can’t tell you the time and effort that was put into those first paintings that were going to be shown. I was SO nervous! Looking back, that first show was the turning point for my life when I know this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life (and not just as a hobby).

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

See more of Alexandra Rose’s art at:

http://www.myspace.com/alexandraroseart

These interviews with artists are copyrighted to Whopple.com