Local Aesthetic
Alexandrea Pangburn felt a pull to the West from where she lived in Kentucky. Through the desert landscapes, wildlife and habitats, this self-taught artist found her true muse.
Bloomin’ Bison, acrylic on wood panel, 16 x 16.
Growing up with two artistic parents, 35-year-old Pangburn says art was always a part of her life. Until she moved to Colorado in 2017, though, she had no idea how all-consuming her need to create would be. She says, “I’ve always painted animals, but living here has really allowed me to home in on the local wildlife and plant-life. I fall more in love with this state every day.”
South Table Mesa, acrylic on wood panel, 18.
Pangburn thinks big about art, like the side of a building type big. Painting her first mural during a Colorado festival in 2018, she discovered that working large scale brought her immense joy. The thrill was so strong, and the absence of women in the space so keenly felt, that Pangburn founded and is now executive director of Babe Walls. Since its first festival in Westminster, Colorado, in 2020, Babe Walls has organized three full mural festivals, small group installations, gallery shows, workshops and curation projects.
Her murals go in tandem with her fine art paintings. She says, “My large-scale work has helped me with composition in my small-scale work and my smaller scale work has made me become more detail oriented for my large-scale work.”
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- Swallow Tailed Peony, acrylic on wood panel, 24 x 12.
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- Hollyhock Summer, acrylic on wood panel, 8 x 8.
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- Blue Lemon, acrylic on wood panel, 20 x 16.
July 5 to 31, Kuehl Fine Art Gallery, in the A.R. Mitchell Museum in Trinidad, Colorado, will host a joint show for Pangburn and her partner, fellow artist Scott Santee. For this show, Pangburn has been focusing on movement in her still life work.
“It’s been a bit of a metaphor for where I feel in my art career currently,” she says. “I’m in my second year as a full-time artist and learning so much. I’m trying to appreciate the still moments but always feel the need to be moving and hustling to improve.” —Doreen Manning
contact information
alexandreapangburn.com
representation
Abend Gallery, Denver, CO, abendgallery.com
Kuehl Fine Art Gallery at A.R. Mitchell Museum, Trinidad, CO, instagram.com/kuehlfineart
Lovetts Gallery, Tulsa, OK, lovettsgallery.com
Upcoming Shows
Duo Show with Scott Santee, Kuehl Fine Art Gallery, July 5-31
This story appeared in the June/July 2024 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Subscribe today to read every issue in its entirety.