Statement

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I am a self-taught intuitive abstract painter. The act of painting feeds a spot in my soul that I cannot reach any other way. Observing how colors relate to each other, how one color or texture inspires the next mark, and then the next, is endlessly captivating. For me, nature - bound by it’s own rhythm - has a lot of magic. I am deeply inspired by the colors and shapes of clouds in sunsets, wooded landscapes, animals, the changing of the seasons, and the list goes on. With my paintings, I invite the observer to spend time in abstract landscapes that resonate with the universal quality of emotion and memory.

 

I mainly work in either encaustic or acrylic paint. I am drawn to encaustic painting for its unpredictable qualities, of which I also observe in the natural environment, with shapes and colors ever-shifting across the landscape from day-to-day, week-to-week, and season-to-season. I love the way encaustic paint moves from solid to liquid, and needs to be manipulated with heat. This reminds me of water frozen by the cold of winter, becoming liquid again from the warmth of the sun in spring. I also love that encaustic paint is made from beeswax and damar resin; two things directly derived from nature, each carrying the vibration of its origin. Alternatively, acrylic paint has a more immediate quality because it is a (non-organic) polymer, and dries very quickly. It allows me to paint layer after layer, in a rapid way, so that I feel free to try ideas, and take creative risks. I love the versatility of the different textures I can create with acrylics, and the kinds of mark-making this allows. I find the shapes and colors of flowers, leaves, or the pattern of lichen on rocks will often show up in abstracted ways in these marks.

 

 

Bio

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Alexis Wheeler is an intuitive abstract artist living in New York State. As a child growing up in rural New Jersey, Alexis was a prolific young artist, writing books, drawing, painting and print-making. At the age of 18, Alexis moved to New York City, where she worked as a hairdresser and pursued art-making in other forms. Over the years, Alexis has taken classes in many mediums, including studying book binding, paper making, color theory, encaustic painting, ceramics, photography, sewing and music, always keeping a personal studio to make art.  

Alexis has always made her personal life about art, and the artistic process, in a bid to infuse her own creativity with inspiration, and to have the most authentic expression in her own work. It is in the process of observation, collaboration and conversation with nature, and other artists where she is most inspired.

For the past 9 years, Alexis has owned Crown, her hair salon in New York City. In the salon, working with hair is her relationship to sculpture. Similar to her visual artwork, she uses a combination of texture, intuition, artistic technique, and connection to create looks for her clients. While hair is a deeply satisfying and inspiring medium for Alexis, owning her salon has also created a space that to show and sell her paintings.