© 2006 Emily Alexander, Butterfly
mixed media (14” x 10”)
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The process behind my collage-making is a meandering journey. I can let go of my anxieties, create in the moment, and come to a destination where the only lines I have to cross are on the picture plane.
Emily Alexander
Emily Alexander lost her hearing at age two and took to the visual world for meaning and expression. Alexander, who has progressive multiple sclerosis, uses collage to evoke a sense of meandering freedom. “One pencil mark or paper scrap suddenly makes the image work in my mind’s eye. For me, the journey is the destination.” Her work employs the use of various materials such as ink, acrylic, crayon, scraps of paper, and is typically executed with many layers. Alexander’s line motif represents a pathway or hurdle, and is symbolic of a healing journey. “I want the viewer to see the picture plane as mysterious, and search for the little details that make this mystery. During the process of creating I purge my anxieties and try to render them into hopeful images.” Within the piece Butterfly, she represents the figure to symbolize the incredible journey of metamorphosis. Alexander is currently enrolled in Columbia College Chicago where she is studying product design.
