Bio:
My journey began in North Dakota, where I was born and raised. The passion and creativity which is vital to the Arts was fostered in me from the beginning and an artist's soul imbued in me the second my hands touched things I could color the world with. Some of my earliest and favorite memories involve sitting on top of the kitchen table with watercolor kits and crayons laid out on the butcher block paper my mother layered beneath me. Taught to love and enjoy life's simple beauties and to imagine and discover riches in the world around me, when the time came for me to choose my path in life, being an artist was the resonating choice.
I had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia as a young adult, a condition in which chronic pain is caused by overactive nerves, and art gave me the escape I so desperately needed from the physical limits I faced as well as a mental relief to the fatigue that swept over my days. Creativity veiled reality while production proved perseverance over exhaustion.
I attended Bismarck State College in Bismarck North Dakota, where, while earning y Associate in Arts degree there, I found my passion for painting challenged by the immersive allure of clay. I explored both tantalizing mediums at Minot State University, and complemented my two Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in ceramics and painting with a Minor in Art History. A residency at the Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in Newcastle Maine allowed me to branch out for the first time on my own, and fueled my passion for exploration of new environments and inspirations. I was accepted into Arizona State University in Tempe Arizona and pursued a Bachelors degree in Art History. I believe an understanding of the amazing riches of art's history is vital to its future, and plan on making my part of that history conscientious and decisive when I continue onto a master's program.
I am currently an artist-in-residence at Project Art, in Cummington Massachusetts, where I also work as program director for events and studio happenings. These two positions are balanced with my positions as Associate Director and Collection Management Specialist work for Ferrin Contemporary in Cummington, MA and North Adams, MA.
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insta: @alexandrajelleberg
Alexandra Jelleberg
Three Idols
Stoneware, slip
2017
$1000
Statement:
My body of work is defined by a mixture of figuration and abstraction. To me, the physicality ceramic artists explore in the pliability of the medium relates directly to the artist’s understanding and mastery of form itself. In the process of shaping and molding my pieces, I feel connected both physically and spiritually to the body and its nuances and meanings.
I have also been influenced by the places and people I meet whenever I move into a new environment. The plains of North Dakota, maritime scenery of Maine and deserts of Arizona have all filtered into my work and affected my forms in both conscious and subconscious ways. Figurative works morph into boat- and sail-like vessel forms that have then peaked into mountainous landscapes.
My choices in my work reflect the choices that built me into both individual and artist. I strive to create pieces that, while stemming from personal sources and inspirations purposeful and identifiable to me as the creator, expand beyond my story and challenge their viewers to assign meaning and worth according to their own conclusions. Expressionistic styles and abstract forms translate into works that make ambiguity and individual experience the heart of their existence.