Cold Press Arches, 22.625”x 28.5″
Alexis is a contemporary watercolor artist whose work celebrates the bounty of North America’s eastern ecosystems, highlighting unique species and telling visual stories that showcase their individual characteristics. She is especially fascinated with birds and the complex relationships and roles they play in local ecology.
Her work is informed by her extensive interest in nature and a desire to better understand the context of her paintings. She has completed Pennsylvania Master Gardener and Pennsylvania Master Naturalist training and has an extensive collection of field guides and other nature books. In 2025, she became a signature member of the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society. She is also a member of the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society and the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators.
Her ongoing series, “Domestic Absurdity”, imagines native species behavior through an anthropomorphic lens, exploring observation through absurdist humor and common familial situations. Her work aims to increase engagement with viewers while helping them learn to identify the species we share our world with.
Her ongoing series, “Domestic Absurdity”, imagines native species behavior through an anthropomorphic lens, exploring observation through absurdist humor and common familial situations. Her work aims to increase engagement with viewers while helping them learn to identify the species we share our world with.
Statement
Utilizing watercolor my work celebrates the bounty of North America’s eastern ecosystems; highlighting unique species found within and telling visual stories showcasing their individual characteristics. I am especially fascinated with birds and their complex relationships and roles in local ecology. I consult many diverse sources before painting to understand all aspects of the subject and to ultimately ensure the story I want to tell is biologically appropriate. I start painting by using technical underpainting to establish shadows and highlights. After I employ glazing, wet-on-wet techniques, and increasingly pigmented wet wash layers. My paintings are composed of hundreds of individual layers of watercolor tediously applied.
Consequently when viewed as a whole, the layers convey a richness of color, luminosity, and depth of composition, with the goal of rendering an intricately detailed and naturalistic painting full of surprises. This enables the subject to be properly exemplified into a 2D medium. Additionally my more complex paintings are enhanced by aspects of lifecycle, habitat, and the larger food web through use of companion species such as plants, insects and prey.
My most recent work is the series “Domestic Absurdity.” This ongoing series imagines native species behavior through an anthropomorphic lens. The series explores straight observation and injects it with absurdist humor by imagining the specimens’ interaction as common familial situations; with the further goal of increasing engagement with viewers as well as helping them learn to identify the species we share our world with. In my free time, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my family. I love learning about nature and have an extensive collection of field guides and other nature books. To complement my art I have also completed Pennsylvania Master Gardener and Pennsylvania Master Naturalist training so that I can better understand the context of my paintings. In 2025 I became a signature member of the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society. I am also a member of the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, and the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators
Education
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago | Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting
Carnegie Mellon University | Pre-College in Drawing and Painting
Group Exhibitions
- 2026, History through Art: Celebrating America’s 250th,
- Southwestern Pennsylvania Council of the Arts, Greensburg Art Center, Greensburg PA
- 2026, Art the Matters to the Planet:
- Beyond Beauty, Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Jamestown NY
- 2026, Art the Matters to the Planet:
- Beyond Beauty, Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Jamestown NY
- 2026, Waterworks Member Exhibition,
- Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, Latrobe Art Center, Latrobe PA
- 2025, Aqueous Open International Exhibition,
- Latrobe Art Center, Latrobe PA
- 2025, Mid-Atlantic Regional Watercolor Exhibition,
- Baltimore Watercolor Society, Art Barn & Kentlands Mansion, Gaithersburg MD
- 2024, On a Limb, You are Here Gallery, Jeannette PA
- Rector, PA www.arodefer.com
- 2024, Waterworks, Pittsburgh Watercolor Society,
- Latrobe Art Center, Latrobe Pa
- 2024, Call of the Wild,
- San Fernando Valley Arts and Cultural Center, San Fernando CA, online
- 2024, 29th Annual Regional Exhibition,
- Annual Regional Exhibition, Southwestern Pennsylvania Council of the Arts, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier, Ligonier PA
- 2024, Visual SciCom Exhibit Juried Members Show,
- Guild of Natural Scientific Illustrators, Washington DC, online
- 2023, Aqueous Open International,
- Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, online
- 2023, 28th Annual Regional Exhibition, Southwestern
- Pennsylvania Council of the Arts, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier, Ligonier PA
- 2022, 27th Annual Regional Exhibition,
- Southwestern Pennsylvania Council of the Arts, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier, Ligonier PA
- 2022, Aqueous Open International, Stifel Fine Arts Center,
- Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, Wheeling WV
- 2022, Waterworks, Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, Pittsburgh PA
- 2021, New Works by New Members,
- Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, Pittsburgh PA
- 2021, Women’s Work, You Are Here Gallery, Jeanette PA
- 2021, Biennial Exhibit, Greensburg Art Center, Greensburg PA
- 2021, Waterworks, Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, Pittsburgh PA
- 2019, Women Members, Undercroft Gallery, Pittsburgh PA
- 2017, Women Members, Undercroft Gallery, Pittsburgh PA
- 2012, Bachelor of Fine Art Exhibition, Sullivan Galleries,
- The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago IL