Check Out Alexia Burgos’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexia Burgos.

Hi Alexia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started my career in the era of social media meaning everything when it comes to the art world, or at least that’s what it felt like to me. I didn’t have much of a connection to the tangibility that the art world offers through galleries, open studios, festivals, etc. I was a teenager in my bedroom, admiring my favorite artists through the grids of Instagram. Things shifted, however, when real-life chances started to open as I went through high school. I learned of opportunities to apply for competitions and scholarships. With awarded scholarship art programs, suddenly, I am able to go see actual practicing artists do their thing. It was simple, but deeply profound to me. It exposed me to witnessing the real people creating art professionally and the community it could offer. This ignited that flame for pursuing my art in higher education, leading me to Atlanta for my BFA at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Now emerging far beyond my bedroom, my paintings are exploring Americana by blending quotidian figures, places, and nature.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There is a certain level of uncertainty when you decide to have the brilliant idea of being a painter. It goes from “I just love making art and sharing it with those close to me!” to “How can I make creating art a sustainable practice?” It is a tricky balancing act of pursuing as many opportunities as possible to develop your career while avoiding burnout, which will stop any of those pursuits forthwith. Though with every step I take, it has been easier to see what things I want to put the most effort into, while others may not speak to my specific practice. Even with the constant pendulum swings that plague a painter’s mind, like; What do I want to say? How do I best convey it? How do I create art I enjoy viewing that I also enjoy creating? In general, there are a lot of inhibitions that come with being a painter. A constant presentation of self and art that can lead to an obsequious approach of offering oneself. But running from them is certainly not the resolution either. Instead, I try my best to lean into those ponderings and react by adjusting my practice accordingly.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am responding to the fluid rhythms of nature and Americana. My main influential region is Southeast Texas, where I pay my homage by honoring the cowboys and alligators, the deliriously hot and humid summer nights, and the insects that grip the long grasses. I am letting both idiosyncratic imagery mingle with the remnants of variegated emotions. They are then sifted into my visual language of wobbling brushstrokes, painting figures and sceneries in compositions that are grounded yet otherworldly. Next, I take these influences and transform them into my own realm, where I get to create upon my substrates. The illusory practice of painting allows a personal perspective to transcend its origins. Whimsical and playful with my color palette, I hope to enthrall viewers to observe these fantastical worlds’ minutiae.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I think people often think the main goal of networking is to benefit their own career, and leading to the possibility of more sales. While that is appealing, and can certainly be true, there are many more important benefits found in these connections as an artist. Networking is central to building a creative community.
Working for long hours in the studio could easily lead to a life of isolation, laboring over the many details of your art and not much else. But to be intentional in going out into the art world and meeting others, you’ll never know what meaningful connections you will create. If you are sincere with how you present yourself to others, you will receive it back. I find it much more exciting and inspirational to make art among others than doing it alone. With other artists, we are able to hold each other accountable with goals, give or receive critiques, trade our art, and share opportunities. And of course, just experiencing the pleasure of being with fellow creatives! These are the people I break my bread with, and I am so grateful to have such spirited friendships that I have made through networking. Networking can, of course, lead to having collectors and career opportunities, but it is important that you put a heartfelt foot forward where you are willing to uplift others and not just yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alexiaburgos.com/
• Instagram: alexiaburgos_art