Art & Life with Alexandra Hemrick

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra Hemrick.

Alexandra, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Though I’m self-taught, and didn’t go to school for anything creative, I’ve written and made art my whole life. When I was little, I’d drag a plastic playschool desk out to my backyard to read, draw, and write stories in the morning. In one way or another, I’ve continued to wake up early and stay up late for art and writing my whole life. One summer in high school before work every day, I wrote, compiled, and edited a book of poetry and short prose for which I designed a cover and had printed for my family. In college, I wrote poems almost daily and spent countless hours going above and beyond an assignment to write an epic poem for one of my classes. At the end of college, I started to realize I was living for the in-between times, before and after class, where I’d sneak in some time to write or sketch and I thought to myself, what am I doing? I don’t want to only half-live my life! So, I began a journey into making my passions a career despite not having any idea how to do it. I started with blogging and was Freshly Pressed on WordPress which encouraged me to go on. I then wanted to get into writing literary short stories, and after an online class and ceaseless practice, got a few short stories and creative nonfiction articles published. Then, I illustrated a children’s book which I subsequently self-published with author Georgia Lundeen called “Love Like Us,” about a little satellite bot finding it’s support system in the universe. Finally after much trial and error, I realized that contemporary fine art was the real deal for me, and that’s where I am now. I won’t lie, I’m still figuring it out, still trying to find my niche here in Atlanta and elsewhere, but I’ve had a piece published in Inbtwn Magazine, have been featured by Emerging Female Artists, have sold my art online through various platforms, and in person at a couple of markets including the Wonderroot Artist Market.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
In my art, I try to bring distinct moments in time, and strong emotions from within the inner world, which can’t be seen with the eyes, to the outer world in various physical manifestations. My goal is to stop people for a moment and make them think, make them feel, make them question. I find it extremely difficult to live in a world where things tend to stay on the surface. People can barely take time to sit and just think with a phone constantly begging for attention, and I’m just as guilty as the next person. I worry that we’re forgetting how to truly connect in real life with other people. That we’ve forgotten how to connect with ourselves, and with nature. In turn, I feel that we’ve begun to listen to each other less, to grow as people less, to learn less. So with each piece, I try to think of it as a way to get to know and accept myself in the most honest ways. I share a lot with the people who follow my work on Instagram about what inspired the art, and about my life, in hopes that perhaps someone will be able to relate, or that perhaps it might inspire someone to take a look deeper within themselves, or even that it might inspire someone to accept things they’ve previously found difficult. My style consistently grows and changes as I grow and change, but the constant is that ‘seeking’- that attempt to bring a fleeting moment, an ethereal feeling to life in some way for the viewer.

Do you think conditions are generally improving for artists? What more can cities and communities do to improve conditions for artists?
I think being able to have a global platform online is an incredible thing for artists who may have otherwise had a hard time being discovered. In a way, it can also lower some barriers to entry, because people can have access to an artist’s work without having to enter a museum or gallery which not everyone feels comfortable doing. I think it also can help people who aren’t artists themselves to understand art more, because they can hear an artist talk about their work, see a video of the artist working, etc. But, despite all this, there are still barriers to entry into the art world for many. There are a lot of important stories being told that aren’t necessarily being heard, and I think that’s something that needs to change. Galleries and museums could do a lot more to make sure that more perspectives are represented, and that any person can feel comfortable coming to see art. People who provide artist residencies or opportunities for artists could also do more to take into account artists who may be a primary caregiver for a child and can’t leave for long periods of time, who may have several other jobs to pay the bills, or who may have to care for other family members. More opportunities could be given and tailored to people who may have non-traditional backgrounds in art. These measures and more could go a long way in including some stories that aren’t heard enough. Art can be a wonderful way to open up dialogues, to open minds, to connect us with one another. It can’t be something that only select people see, or only select people can participate in. I do love that there’s so much public art in Atlanta. I love the many and various festivals all around the city. I love that Atlanta does have so much art, music, and culture. I love that the High Museum really includes families, and young children in the art experience with tailored activities. I think these are amazing things about Atlanta, and I hope that continues in the future.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
My main platform is Instagram at the moment, because I love how perfect it is for art, and honestly it is such a great, supportive community of artists. I share my process in my stories all the time so people can see what goes into making a piece, and also all the crazy experiments I’m constantly running to make new marks. I also create a free “Blogumentary” which documents a year of me creating a body of work centered around my experience in early motherhood when my daughter was colicky. I include pictures of the pieces I finish, written descriptions, process videos, and videos of me talking about the work. It’s free to sign up, and if people don’t want to sign up, I post the link to the most recent episode in my bio on Instagram. I’ve also participated in the Wonderroot Artist Market as a vendor and absolutely loved it. I hope to participate again soon. In addition, I have a big goal of hosting an event for friends and neighbors this fall called, “Salon De ‘Burbia” at my home where I invite artists, makers, and musicians I know to my house to make art live, show work, get to know one another, and basically bring more contemporary art, and creative experiences to my suburban area.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hemi7a.wixsite.com/originaltitle/art
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/originaltitle/

Image Credit:
Personal photo taken by: Don Hemrick Jr. Photos of art: Alexandra Hemrick

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