Evolution
I began my time at San Francisco Art Institute as a transfer student, with some real life as an artist behind me; studio, exhibits, grants, and a whole body of distinct work already created. I wanted to paint my paintings, only some mysterious kind of better. Once again, we received minimal instruction. There was a joke going around – “I went to the Art Institute. I’m self-taught”.
The first painting on this page is layered with iconography from my earlier work. In the second piece you can see the beginnings of dimension evolve almost immediately as things begin to shift and change. Cala lilies appear. They grow like weeds in San Francisco. There are arches everywhere. The light is amazing!
Above Left: Archaeology, © Alexandria Levin, 1986 – oil on canvas, 48x36" (private collection)
Above Center: Snakes in the Garden, © Alexandria Levin, 1986 – oil on canvas, 22x24" (private collection)
Above Right: Self-Portrait as a Mermaid in a Small Puddle, © Alexandria Levin, 1987 – oil on canvas, 30x36" (collection of artist)
