Alexia Vondrachek Class of 2001	XQ (10 questions) Interview:
Alexia with daughter Hannah using her newly designed baby sling product a Babeeling.	Peony in Pink watercolor and mixed media

1. At what point in your life did you know that art was your passion?

• I always had drawn or created art. I remember drawing this small porcelain swan when I was very young and feeling satisfied at what I had created. When I was young, my parents also supported my artistic efforts.
• I suppose I developed a real interest in art in high school. My high school teacher, Mrs. Cooper, really had a lot of knowledge and I enjoyed learning from her. I truly enjoyed working with my hands and thought it would be something I'd like to pursue in the future.  I simply developed that interest at the University of Saint Mary with my professor's, Susan Nelson and Jason Burrell. Through my artistic studies at Saint Mary I finally "got it" and decided art was my life long love.

• I belong to a group called Etsy Street Team. We are a group of local crafter's/artisans and we devote our time to our artwork. We get together and participate in trunk shows and sell our products online at www.etsy.com. You can view our Kansas City Street Team page at http://team.etsy.com/profilest/mo.shtml or view my shop at www.babeeling.etsy.com. You can also visit www.babeeling.com to view my baby slings and mini blankets.
  
  3. How has art and the act of making art enriched your life?

• After graduating from Saint Mary, I continued to work on my art. I was never satisfied with my art, until my husband helped me realize, simply so, that I had the power to change anything I disliked. For instance, if I didn't like my job, change it, if I didn't like my art, change it. So I began creating art that made sense…my way. I realized that I could continually improve on my artwork. I held onto the fact that I could change anything and it is now my way of life. My whole concept of life changed, my husband and I then had a baby girl and I started a company called Babeeling LLC. Through Babeeling I can continually be creative. It allows me to fulfill my creative outlet and enjoy my young daughter at the same time.

• I find it fairly easy to stay motivated. It's the time that is hard to find. So the busier I am the more motivated I am. If I find myself in a slump, I do have to self motivate to get back into creating. It also helps to constantly think about art. It is important to live with art on the mind. That way everything in your world, in your culture, can be a motivator.

• I have really been influenced by artists such as Gustav Klimt, Mark Rothko and Robert Rauschenberg. I am influenced by the way they create and develop their works of art. I enjoy their artistic philosophies and truly admire them as professional artists.
• Each of the artists have different appeal to me. Klimt makes great use of color and his images are so vibrant and fluid. They scream passion for life and passion or art. Rothko, is unusual and many lay people don't understand his form of work. They cannot comprehend why layers of paint make it a successful painting. I like that about it, it's like, I know a secret that the rest of the common public does not. Rothko says, "Silence is so accurate," when speaking of his artwork. He did not feel the need to explain about his work. Rauschenberg has a lot to say in his artwork. I enjoy looking at his work because he uses a variety of materials and colors. He layers his artwork and is very successful at lithography and other various forms of printing.

• I visit galleries when I can. I continually observe trends in the media and on the internet. I am also in the graphic design business and that allows me to easily keep current.
• I also keep art texts at my home that allow me to enhance my prior knowledge. I always find it interesting to focus on the artists in texts that get little recognition. Sometimes they have the most to say.

• Over the past several years I have been developing works of art that consist of older materials. For instance, my most recent piece of artwork is a mixed media piece. This piece consists of paper I made 2 years ago, paint Susan gave me 4 years ago, a piece of canvas a friend gave me and a drawing I made 1 year ago. I realized that I have more than enough supplies to create art….now it about creating art economically minded. So when I go to create, I search through my past works of art, if I dislike it, I take it apart and use the pieces I like.

• When I look back at my work of art, I can see my life. I remember making the paper 2 years a ago and how I loved it so much I almost didn't want to use it. I pulled the plants from my own back yard to make the paper, and I clearly remember doing so. With each material I use, I have a specific memory attached and it allows my memories to really become part of the artwork.

• I suppose directly after college I was a little burnt out. I was burnt out of ideas mostly. I had been used to direction from Susan and Jason and my classmates and now it was just me. I didn't know what I wanted to do. It took me a while to get back on track and to get rejuvenated. After about a year, I decided I dearly missed creating and I jumped right back in. I was still in a lull though for about another year, and I decided to take a few art classes at local colleges. This got me back on track and exposed me to some materials and techniques that I had not known before. It was just the thing I needed to inspire me to create.

• Attempt to look at life through an artist's eye. For instance, when looking at group of pencils, don't look at them as the objects that they are, look at them as a series of shapes surrounded by negative space. Observe how the light hits them and where the focal point of the pencil grouping is.

  
  Don't get bogged down by what other people think about your work. If it makes, you happy, then create. If it satisfies you and you can express your thoughts, do it.