She was my Design 202 professor in the spring of 2008 so I was delightfully surprised to find out she works mostly in sculpture. (Our design class was very much about color theory, precision and Gouache paint). Alexis' own work diverted radically from the work we did in the class and was wonderfully imaginative. A greco-roman meets romanticism fantasy blossomed in my mind (and still does!).
Shown to the left is "Olgi" (2006), made from found objects, furniture legs, tassels and gold mylar tape. I believe "Thomaidha" (2004) was also shown, but it's "Olgi" that was really impressive. I love the simplicity of color and how the gold looks against white walls with blue and turquoise accents. Although the color palette is minimal, Alexis' attention to detail and dedication to her materials is fantastic. I would very rarely think to use furniture legs in a sculpture, but they definitely offer something unique and beautiful to this piece that any other material could. Can you imagine going around to multiple upon multiple junk yards and antique shops to find clawed sofa feet? My mind went there, but it also went off into thoughts, daydreams and memories of summer and what summer would be like in the Greek Isles!
Her other work gives me similar vibes. Her use of gold seems so divine rather than gaudy as it could appear in the works of other artists. And her influences are consistent through her body of professional work: the Virgin Mary, the "Evil Eye", and ideas about femininity (as represented by the abundance of pears and gold). Also common is the use of found objects. I especially like found objects in sculpture because it gives the objects a magic of their own that would be impossible aside from the context of the sculpture. I highly recommend seeing her works in person because you will never be able to forget them.
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