Bio
Alex Spalding (b. 1985, Springfield, MO) is a self-taught figurative painter specializing in vibrant, stylized works created with highly pigmented vinyl-based paints. Drawing from vintage commercial illustration and Contemporary fine art, he re-imagines these influences through bold technique and the innovative use of technology.
Before dedicating himself to painting in 2023, Alex was immersed in a diverse range of creative pursuits, including experimental dance music production, managing two net-based record labels, gonzo music journalism, screenwriting, and caricature, as well as minimalist graphic art. This multidisciplinary background continues to inform the eclectic style of his work today. Alex lives and works in Philadelphia, PA.
Artist Statement
"Wild Side" is my collection of figurative paintings and portraits, a fictional beauty magazine celebrating power, imagination, and human nature untamed. At its core, the work explores contradictions central to our sense of self—beauty and unease, allure and alienation—drawing viewers in to project their own narratives and emotions. In "Wild Side", I play with the expressive geography of the feminine face and figure, forming entities of primal emotional energy that emanate or co-exist with animals and other figures in white space. Using color, stylization, and an absence of context, I create an inviting yet challenging space for viewers to confront unresolved tensions. Every element and technique is designed to evoke urgent emotional realities, as raw, feral imagery blends with absurdity, ambiguity, and glamor. Beneath playful, facile surfaces, the series' intensity, style, and lack of a narrative through-line has provoked complex, volatile responses, ranging from anger to amusement.
I work with AI as a collaborator, inviting an element of unpredictability and distance. The impersonal choices AI makes offer me a method to examine the collision between personal and cultural symbolism. I then refine the imagery, guiding the process by shaping the output with my reflections, personal experiences,.or ideas. Once I select a model, they are filtered and transformed through my painting process, layering vinyl-based Flashe with expressive brushwork on wood panels, emphasizing immediacy, presence, and emotional resonance.
Drawing from the aesthetics of vintage illustrations, such as 20th Century movie posters, comics, cartoons, and advertisements, my work pays homage to the past, but ventures a reinterpretation of both Modern and Contemporary perspectives. I feel a kinship with illustrators and artists who bridged the worlds of commercial and fine art, such as Patrick Nagel, Andy Warhol, Jon Whitcomb, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Like them, I explore the allure of surface and feminine iconography, balancing aesthetics with personal expression in an ongoing journey and meditation on themes that compel me.
