CONVERSATIONS – Artist Alexandra Nicole Newton

Meet Alexandra Nicole Newton, a talented artist and one busy and adventurous young lady! From her recent win of the art poster contest for the The Wild Georgia Shrimp and Grits Festival on Jekyll Island with her whimsical piece titled “Basking in the Glow of the Grits” (see below) to her newly launched website Art by Alexandra Nicole, she is a girl on the go and I am happy to watch as her star climbs.

From her canvas art to abstracts, prints and notecards, using various mediums of acrylics, oils, watercolor and ink, her work is inspiring and shows off her love of nature. I recently spoke with Alexandra and asked her to share, in her own words, more about her life, art and inspiration…

I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to paint. When I entered 2^nd grade I began taking weekly art lessons with a local artist, Dorothy McClain, in my hometown of St. Simons Island, GA. At the time, I was far from athletically inclined… I was the kid picking flowers in the field and looking for bugs instead of catching the baseball – so, art became my “sport” and was something I looked forward to every week. These art lessons laid the foundation for my art career and I attended lessons until my high school graduation.

When accepted to the University of Georgia, I had to pick a major: wildlife or art? I followed my inner nature girl dreams and graduated with a degree from the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, double majoring in wildlife biology and fisheries science. Throughout college, I continued to feed my artistic side through photography and painting in my free time. With a background as a wildlife biologist, I feel like I can fully appreciate all aspects of the natural world I’m inspired by.

I am fortunate to have grown up on St. Simons Island spending most of my days fishing, combing the beaches and playing in the marsh. Naturally, I draw inspiration from these places and the wildlife that live there: sea turtles, starfish, crabs, etc. Besides the outward beauty of all flora and fauna, I am equally impressed by the beauty of the ecosystem – by the role that each animal or plant fulfills without even knowing it.

I have many hobbies I like to pursue in my spare time such as hiking, scuba diving, and traveling. I’m fortunate to have traveled to many exotic and far away places including Fiji, New Zealand, and St. Kitts where I was able to study wildlife and experience new cultures.

Some people have asked me about my creative process and I tell them I try to keep things simple. My paintings start out as a vague idea or emotion with at most a basic sketch. The more I try to plan out and set up a painting, the harder it can be to start. Staring at a blank canvas can be intimidating so my policy is just to jump in, start painting, and see where the colors take me.

I currently have a full-time job working as a wildlife biologist and art keeps me busy part-time. My mother is a never-ending source of inspiration and motivation for me. She has supported and encouraged my efforts to start my art business. She is the one who gave me the confidence to believe people would be interested in my paintings. While my mother is keeping me organized, preparing for festivals and managing my websites, I get to do what I love – create art!