I am P. Alexandria, an artist from Northeast Ohio. I currently work in drawing, watercolor and batik but have also dabbled at times in ceramic sculpture and wood sculpture. My current specialty is batik.
I have been formally educated at Columbus College of Art and Design as well as several other art schools on and off throughout my life. I also have degrees in Geology and Mechanical Drafting. My background is a curious blend of the artistic, the technical and the scientific.
I vastly prefer to work from life; from live models, as opposed to working from photographs or other two dimensional forms. I feel I can best create “life” on paper or cloth if I work directly from life itself. The human form with its incredible power, complexity and beauty has always been my favorite subject. The interplay of skin over muscle over bone and the way that light and shadows reveal those dynamic relationships is endlessly fascinating to me.
In batik, I am fascinated by the unpredictability of the medium. Instead of always trying to control the behavior of the molten wax, I prefer to play with its depth and fluidity and mystery. The character of the image created by the wax is very three-dimensional and can create apparent depth within a two-dimensional surface. Although most of the wax gets removed from the batik in the final process, I always some leave some behind, to add to the depth and luminosity of the color.
