It isn’t easy for anyone to be completely consumed with their profession, but for local artist, Alexandra Loesser, she welcomes it. Alexandra feels lucky to be able to turn what she loves into her full time profession, but with every love comes struggles. Luckily for her, Alexandra embraces her struggles, which she believes are necessary to push herself.
If I’m ever one hundred percent satisfied with my work, then Im not pushing myself enough conceptually or technically. But in general, Im just grateful to have made a career of something that both challenges and fulfills me.
Loesser’s technical ability is beyond impressive which she attributes to her formal training at UNC Greensboro and her sixty plus hours of painting per week. Practice makes perfect and according to Alexandra, her time at UNCG challenged her as well as forced her to see things in a different way. “I can hardly look at a thing without mixing its colors in my head, so art has not impacted my life so much as it has become my life.”
Though the contemporary nature of her work is indisputable, when asked to describe her work as a style she says, Perceptional Naturalism. Her goal is to not just replicate her subjects, but to have her work be rooted in the natural world and tweaked with her own unnatural perceptions. For example, when painting the human form she tries to capture an emotion or explore the nuances of the flesh tones as opposed to just duplicating a picture of that person. Most recently, she has been exploring animals as her subjects. “I find animals very interesting because I think they have a real untapped depth to them and I want that to show in my paintings. Anything that haunts my mind becomes fuel for me to make something.”
Returning to Charlotte three years ago after college, Alexandra threw herself into the local art scene and has enjoyed watching it grow. She has much respect for her fellow local artists and finds inspiration in their devotion to their individual crafts, which she concedes is not an easy career path.“I would love to see the art scene thriving rather than just surviving and I do wish it wasn’t relegated to just one or two neighborhoods in the city. Charlotte has a lot of talent and it deserves a larger audience.”
Alexandra believes the talent is here as well as the support within the galleries, though her one wish for Charlotte is for the scene to expand. Her favorite is Gallery Twenty-Two in Plaza Midwood where she shows her work on a regular basis. Other galleries she enjoys are sprinkled throughout the city in other neighborhoods, many of which struggle to stay afloat. “There are a lot of little gems in this city showing local art but people are still buying art at Target and Homegoods, it boggles my mind.”
As far as her personal artistic goals, Alexandra is always striving to learn more and better her craft. Constantly working to challenge herself and grow as an artist, Alexandra is focusing on showing her work out of state as well as exploring a more abstract approach to the human form.
To learn more about Alexandra Loesser, see her portfolio, or stay up to date about her upcoming events, you can visit her at www.AlexandraLoesser.com. You can also follow her at @alexlaserr on Instagram to see her current works in progress.
It is no secret that Alexandra exhibits true raw passion for her talent, which is why she welcomes conversation. “I love to discuss art and ideas and meet new people. My studio doors are always open.”
