alexandra Ackerman

Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1973, Alexandra Ackerman grew up drawing, cutting, and sewing things from a very young age. She first learned to paint in the wet-on-wet watercolor style at the Waldorf School at age eight, and has continued her exploration until the present, maintaining a childlike freedom in her work. Alexandra earned a degree in painting and printmaking at Massachusetts College of Art, where she explored a variety of mediums, often incorporating fabric and found objects into her work. She was part of the Minneapolis art and music community for nearly a decade before moving to northern Wisconsin to start a family. Alexandra has participated in numerous group and solo shows across the US. She has work in public and private collections, and teaches watercolor workshops locally. She currently lives in Iowa City with her husband and two teenage children. 

Since childhood I have observed the natural world with curiosity and wonder.  I have found beauty in the places I have lived and visited- from the shores of the Great Lakes- to deserts, beaches and jungles of Mexico and Central America.  I’m particularly inspired by the vast diversity of plants and the mysteries they hold.  I have worked on farms and gardens for half my life.  Being intimately connected to the earth and witness to the life cycle of plants has impacted my work, and continues to fuel my creative process.
I use emotionally charged color and pattern to create internal landscapes and biomorphic abstractions. Focusing on ethereal aspects of nature, my forms are often feminine- evocative of leaves, seeds, and eggs.  Whether orderly or chaotic- each painting is an exploration of the physical and the metaphysical.  
My current body of work is more about texture- both visual and tactile.  These works are inspired by folk art, aboriginal art, quilts, and abstract expressionism.  My mission as an artist is to bring color, energy, and playfulness into homes and public spaces.  I hope to encourage others to connect with the natural world, to see it from a new perspective.

IA