Lexi - The Artist
Create or die…….Dun-dun-duuuuuh!
Sounds dramatic, but I got your attention and it’s true, in a sense.
We’re all born creative, but if you have accustomed yourself to a daily fix you come to rely on it to enhance your life.
“Do Something You Love Everyday”
I write this on stones, and I write it for me.
If it resonates with others, it proves our shared humanity. The thought of spending time creatively gets me out of bed in the morning.
. . . Alternatively I can allow myself to die a little each day, constrain myself with arguments about self-indulgence and not being good enough. There are a trillion ways to be creative but making things happen visually has been my passion since childhood.
HISTORY
My mother used to take us to the woods to collect, moss, pebbles, toad stools etc..and we'd create miniature landscapes.
I had 5 siblings so I cherished time alone being quietly creative and when it came to choosing a vocation art was the only option I considered.
In 1987 I found myself with a degree in Fashion & Textiles and working for a Sottish mill, (where I met my husband). They designed woven fabrics for Yves Saint Laurent, Channel, etc. but my work on their promotional boards took me back to my childhood, I was in my element again, experimenting with collage, feathers, fabrics, paint and beads!
At its best the creative process is an adventure. It's about curiosity and experimentation. Over the many years since the creation of those boards I have struggled to find time to 'indulge' my need to create in this way. Even to the point of using my daughter’s birthdays as an excuse!
If you believe, (as I now do), that this is not an indulgence, but a basic human need; then you might like to check out my Workshops. Maybe this could be a one route to fulfilling some of your own need for expression.
I've been a builder, (with my husband), a tiler, and a social worker.
I've taught at colleges, designing and running courses in Ceramic Mosaics, Wall & Floor Tiling for tradesman or DIY enthusiasts, as well as Drawing & Painting for children.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
However, for the past 13 years I've been following my passion, developing my work on stones and pebbles and teaching this to adults and children at Workshops.
MY CREATIVE PROCESS WITH STONES
Glorious Canvasses
I owe my work and my passion to the eloquence of stones. They speak to me.
Sometimes in a whisper, but they have been known to shout! There are so many ways to go, but the stones are the trigger, the ultimate inspiration.
I'm moved by the texture, colour, pattern or shape. Each stone is a found treasure. Anyone who picks up pebbles on the beach knows this experience. Many believe there is no call add to anything, and that the stone is already perfect and will be spoilt by any addition.
Whilst I recognise and honour that each stone is already perfect, I feel called to add my mark...hopefully with a sympathetic eye for the intrinsic beauty of each pebble.
