“Road Trip” (detail)

24″x 24″

Alex Petersen’s wonderful, dreamy encaustic paintings reminds me so much of childhood. She uses “Dick and Jane” imagery with surreal environments where giant birds exist and rocking horses take us on magical adventures. Takes me back to a time when everything seemed possible.

MOSS: Tell us a little about how you got into Art.

AP: I grew up in a very artistic household.  My mother is an artist, and taught oil painting in our home for years.  Although I don’t paint with oils, I still love the smell of turpentine.

“Lulu Travels Light”

24″x 24″

MOSS: The characters in your most recent works are so wonderfully dreamy. Where do you find inspiration for them?

AP: Well, obviously having children tends to focus one’s attention on the particulars of childhood, but I’ve always been fascinated by the sheer strangeness of childhood.  To a baby or young child, seeing a cat walking across a room for the first time is perceived no differently than, for instance, if they were to see someone fly across the room, or have that same cat start reciting Shakespeare.  When everything is a new experience, everything is equally strange, and that is what I try to capture in my work.  To a small child, every waking moment must feel like living in a David Lynch film.

MOSS: Aside from these adorable children, what other subjects do you like to paint?

AP: I like drawing birds and animals.  I love the challenge of feet and hands.  People are so fun to draw, though.

“Junie Dreams Big” (detail)

24″x 24″

MOSS: Who or what would you count as major influences in your work?

AP: One of my favorite artists is also my favorite author-Mervyn Peake.  His illustrations were so deceptively simple and disarming, but so incredibly powerful and spot-on to the characters.  I also loved Michael Parkes as a teenager (oh, the 80′s, lol!).   Sir John Tenniel and the Alice In Wonderland illustrations was also a huge favorite.

“Lilly Why Do You Play with Crows”

24″x48″

MOSS: Other than painting, what else have you been up to?

AP: Honestly, since I started using encaustic with my pen and ink drawings, I’ve been mostly a studio hermit.  When the boys are off to school, I’m in the studio, listening to my music and working on a new piece.

Alex Petersen is based in Portland, Oregon. You can see more of her work here. And if you would like to purchase prints of her lovely work, you can do so here. She will also be having an artist reception and a solo show at the  Aloft Hotel on wednesday, March 31st. Deets below