Alexa Karabin

The Nest

Handmade Watercolor, Deer Hair, Rubies, 24k Gold Leaf, Geodes, Glass on Panel

20''x20''

$6,000

Statement for the Nest:

First, there was the Deer. A painting that was inspired by an incident that involved a deer that was shot on my property, and the subsequent months that followed, watching the animal return to the earth. When only fur was left, I collected some, but left most of it. The day after I collected the fur, a giant oak tree fell on where the body once rested. Months later, in early spring, the pandemic had started and I spent more than a month inside. Scared. Finally, I forced myself to go outside and explore the woods. And that is when I found it. A bird had made a nest out of deer fur! The Deer’s fur. This piece was inspired by the feelings I had at that moment of discovery. 

Using a variety of techniques, I create artworks that explore themes of natural history, historical occurrence, memory, and cycles. My materials are found and handmade—my most precious material is my grandmother’s antique jewelry that I crush and use to make handmade watercolors. This piece also includes rubies, emeralds, 24k gold, deer fur, geodes, and glass.

I pulled the bandaid and did something I was terrified to do. And now I am going to do it every Friday at 7:00pm Eastern! Because all of my events and exhibitions have been canceled for the foreseeable future, I will be doing more digital events! More dates and venues will be added, but for the time being this will be a consistent thing. Ask questions and peek inside my studio! Save the date.

My pendants are slowly coming out of the bath, and they look so good. These are tiny handmade watercolor paintings that are adorned with 18k gold leaf. They are then permanently encased in copper. They are so hard to photograph! They look soooo much cooler in person. I am going to patina them black, so the gold pops. I hope to have some legit photos, soon! 

Today’s #MarchMeetTheMaker promt is “how you started”. My compulsion to make things started very young, and just never went away. I was just thinking about this the other day— I got really, REALLY serious about art when I was 15. I was so depressed and lonely as a teenager. Art helped me focus on something other than my misery. There are a lot of reasons why I am an artist, but that is one of the big ones. Around that time I started collecting books and taking classes. It became an obsession. It became therapy for me. It helped me occupy my mind and focus on something beautiful.