Cloudhouse resident artist Alexandra Warren in the press
Thursday, February 14th, 2008Southern Reporter, by Mark Inchley www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk
It’s a long way from the bustling streets of New York City, but the sleepy village of Stow is proving quite an inspiration for international artist Alexandra Warren.
Nine years ago, the talented painter was working at her brother’s café in New York when a chance encounter with Borders artist Jackie Selcraig sparked a lasting friendship, out of which grew a love for the Borders that has transformed both her family life and her art.
Now, Alexandra lives in Stow with her husband David and two daughters, where, she says, she couldn’t be happier.
“When we got married, we came over for our honeymoon and loved it so much we decided to move here to live,” she explained.
“There’s lots of different things I love about Scotland and the Borders in particular, from the countryside and the hills to being able to drive on single track roads, which you don’t get in the States.
“We also really appreciate having schools within local communities that kids can walk to. That’s a really valuable thing.”
Alexandra and her family originally moved to Fountainhall, where they lived for four years before setting up home in Stow last May, where she continues to juggle family life with painting.
“We found a wonderful home here last year,” she explained. “It has a separate garage with skylights, perfect for a studio, which is one of the fabulous things about the place.”
Born in New York in 1963, Alexandra actually grew up in Greece where her love of art began. Since then, she has studied at New York’s Colgate University, Syracuse University in Florence and the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting.
Her work has been purchased by private collectors in the United States, United Kingdom and Greece, and has been exhibited at the Rhode Island School of Design, the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts, the Fulbright Foundation in Athens, the Robert Frey Gallery in Seattle and the Traditional Acupuncture Institute, Columbia.
And now the Cloudhouse in Stow, where three of her oil paintings are currently being exhibited.
Cloudhouse Café and Gallery opened in October and features the work of local artists, including an exhibition of contemporary Scottish photography currently on display.
“It’s a really nice gallery,” Alexandra continued. “I think it suits my work and it’s great to be able to just go down the road and enjoy it.
“The pieces there are some of my older work. It’s hard to describe the style. It’s still evolving, but I guess it’s figurative rather than realistic.
“I think of them as internal portraits. In my more current paintings the figures are more distinct.”
Now, the busy mother-of-two is working towards a solo exhibition at Cloudhouse in August to coincide with the Edinburgh festivals, which she says will have a very different feel to it.
“Being a full-time mother has influenced my paintings quite a lot,” she explained “I still tend to paint figures but I’m more aware of life now since becoming a mother. “My two daughters are in one picture and there’s another of my mother, my sister and me. It really reflects where I am now and it’s quite a change from before. “As well as that, since moving here, my paintings have got brighter and there’s a certain green that keeps popping up in them. I guess it’s inevitable that living in the countryside will inspire you in that way.”
