MEMBER FEATURE:

Our monthly Member Feature aims to showcase the talent that occupies our buildings and celebrate their work.

This month, we had the pleasure of interviewing Rockella Space Member Alexander Brewington who has a studio at Brown Bears Studios. Based in Brooklyn, Alexander is a figurative painter whose work blends vibrant color and supernatural imagery to explore the emotions and hidden thoughts that lie beneath the surface of human experience. With a BFA from St. John’s University (2018) and an MFA from Pratt Institute (2023), his practice is both grounded in technical rigor and open to expressive experimentation.

Alexander’s paintings transform the intangible—emotions too difficult or painful to articulate—into tangible forms on canvas. Through the use of vivid hues, expressive mark making, and surreal elements, his work creates a visual language that conveys the unspoken, inviting viewers into a space of connection and introspection. His art is not simply representational but deeply psychological, bridging the gap between what is felt but unseen and what is allowed to be seen. His work highlights that conflict through color and surreal elements.

Recognized with features in Hyperallergic, Canvas Rebel, New Visionary Magazine, and E-flux Education, Alexander was also awarded a Pratt Fellowship to attend the 2023 Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. His rising career reflects both a dedication to figurative painting and a bold commitment to pushing its possibilities into new, emotional terrain.

To learn more about the creatives who call Rockella Space home, head over to the People page for a full list of in-depth interviews.

Photo: Brandon Foushée

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Alexander Brewington, and I’m a figurative oil painter. I grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and first moved to New York City for college. After graduating, I returned home for two years but came back in 2021 to attend graduate school for painting and have been here ever since. My work is rooted in storytelling. I’m drawn to people’s lives and emotions, and oil painting is the vehicle that I use to tell those stories the best.

Photo: Brandon Foushée

How long have you been at Rockella Space, and what’s your favorite thing about having a studio at Brown Bears Studios?

I’ve been here since September 2023. I really appreciate how professional and well-run the space is. It’s always clean, organized, and welcoming. I also love the events and pop-up shops hosted here. They’ve made it easy to feel like part of their community.

Photo: Brandon Foushée

Have you connected and/or created a community with other artists in the building?

Yes, I first heard about the building from two friends who had studios in the building when I was first in the market for a new studio. Since being more involved in the community, I’ve met other artists at events and shows at our building and the Brown Bear Studio. I was even involved in shows that fellow Rockella members, such as Beatriz Williams and Britt Harrison, have curated.

Photo: Brandon Foushée

Tell us about your work. What inspires you to create the work you do?

I’m a figurative oil painter interested in the contrast between what people feel internally and what we allow others to see. People themselves inspire me most. Talking with my subjects and hearing their stories often sends a painting in exciting new directions that I couldn’t have planned.

Point of Ignition, 48×60 inches, Oil on Wooden Panel 2024

How do you start a work? Tell us about your process.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a storyteller. So for me, it begins with the story: what am I trying to communicate, who are the subjects, and how do I feel about it? Those questions often drive my color choices, composition, and the way I build up the painting. Even when I think I’ve highlighted specific elements and themes, viewers often connect with unexpected parts of the work, which I find really exciting.

Spirit’s Musings, 30×40 inches, Oil on Wooden Panel 2024

What inspired you to blend classical mythology with urban environments in your paintings?

I’ve always been drawn to mythology because it’s ultimately about people. Stories in ancient mythology were created to explain the world and things people didn’t understand. I’m interested in our present-day version of that. While you can look at the news for present events of our history of how we got here, I’m more interested in how we feel, how we’re affected by the world around us, and the shared threads that run through our lives. In that way, I’m trying to build a mythology of our age.

Photo: Brandon Foushée

Can you walk us through your creative process when starting a new piece? How do you decide which mythological elements to incorporate?

I’m interested in mythology but not in the way that I would put symbols like a Hydra, a Minotaur, or Sphinx in a painting. I find that what I focus on are the themes. I think about ideas like “flying too close to the sun,” “carrying the weight of the world,” or “trying to find your way home after being gone so long you’ve forgotten what home feels like.” If I make a painting about Atlas, you won’t see a Titan holding up the sky; you’ll feel the pressure of having to carry the weight of the world on your back. Those emotions resonate with me and, I hope, with viewers.

Atlas 2, 24×26 inches, Oil on Wooden Panel 2023

How do you research and select the urban settings that feature in your work?

In many tv shows set in New York, it’s often described as a character in its own right, and after living here a while, I understand why. The city’s energy is unlike anywhere else in the world, and interesting scenes and moments constantly present themselves. In many ways, the settings find me rather than the other way around.

Photo: Brandon Foushée

In what ways do you think the themes of classical mythology resonate with contemporary urban life?

Urban spaces hold the stories of people who are often overlooked or disenfranchised. If you look at any hero from mythology or a more modern rags-to-riches, American dream story, the hero’s journey usually starts with someone down on their luck who must persevere. We may not be fighting literal monsters, but everyone is facing battles that even their closest friends might not even know about. Cities like this are the place to find and tell those stories.

Feeling Blue?, 40×30 inches, Oil on Wooden Panel 2024

Can you share a specific painting where the intersection of mythology and urban environment particularly stands out for you? What was the inspiration behind it?

One example is my painting Flambé. It shows me out with friends, enjoying a drink, but two of us are engulfed in flames while another friend watches in disgust. Fire is a theme that recurs in much of my work. I think a lot of that connects back to Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods so that the people could build civilization. I read that fire as not just a source of warmth but of knowledge and truth, which can also be destructive. To me, the fire represents the burden of knowing, of no longer being able to enjoy the bliss of ignorance.

Flambé, 48×60 inches, Oil on Wooden Panel 2024

How do you see your work evolving in the future? Are there new mythological stories or urban landscapes you’re eager to explore?

Lately I’ve been delving into my own family history. I’ve been working on blending my childhood memories with recorded family events in the form of videos and photos to see how they intersect. While much of my work has centered on my grown-up experiences in the city, recently I’ve been thinking about my childhood and earlier stories I’ve heard from before I was even born and common themes within my family and what that would look like visually.

Photo: Brandon Foushée

What challenges do you face in merging these two distinct themes, and how do you overcome them?

While I really enjoy it, the hardest part is breaking down complex stories into simple, relatable themes and deciding how literal or surreal to make them. Sometimes the point is clearer through depicting the mundane while using vivid colors to highlight the hidden tension, but other times a more surreal or supernatural approach works. Finding that middle ground of not being too vague and not too obvious is always a balancing act.

Photo: Brandon Foushée

How does your environment in New York influence your work, both in terms of urban imagery and artistic inspiration?

New York has a unique energy and culture that pushes you to create. You’re surrounded by art and people who are making things happen. It’s so rich with art and culture that just being here, you’re bound to see and learn more about art more than almost anywhere else. It’s also so visually rich not just because the architecture is so interesting to depict, but the constant movement everywhere you look. Being able to capture the stillness amidst the storm is one of my favorite parts about painting the city.

The Casualty of War, 48×60 inches, Oil on Wooden Panel 2023

What message or feeling do you hope viewers take away from your paintings?

I want people to feel they’re not alone. Life is beautiful and painful for everyone in so many different ways, and despite how divided we may seem, I think we’re more alike than we realize. Even if viewers haven’t lived my life per se, I hope they can connect to the shared human experience and emotions in my work.

Drawn to the Flame 36×48 inches, Oil on Wooden Panel 2024

If you were to invite anyone alive or dead to a dinner party, who would be on your guest list?

The nerd in me would love to invite creative legends who’ve passed in recent years, like Akira Toriyama or Stan Lee. I’m also deeply inspired by historic figures such as W. E. B. Du Bois, Langston Hughes, and Frederick Douglass. I’m a big sports fan, so it would be great to have LeBron James, Serena Williams, or Tom Brady at the table. I’m a movie guy too, so stars like Denzel Washington or Angela Bassett, or even directors like Ryan Coogler, Christopher Nolan, and James Gunn. But honestly, if I were truly hosting a dinner party, I’d want my friends and family there first. They’re the people who matter most to me.

The Death of Innocence, 40×30 inches, Oil on Canvas 2022

What advice would you give to aspiring artists, particularly those wanting to move to NYC, who are looking to pursue a career in the art world?

It’s a cliché, so forgive me for saying it, but this is a marathon, not a sprint. There will be highs where you feel on top of the world and lows where you feel you’ve hit rock bottom. Try to stay grounded through both. Be consistent! Show up, put in the work, and keep pushing in the studio until you find what you’re looking for.

Photo: Brandon Foushée

Can you tell us about any upcoming projects or exhibitions where we can see your latest work?

I’ve just begun a new project going through an archive of family videos and photos to create a new body of work exploring how memory overlaps with recorded history. Earlier this year I had some shows and things, but nothing on the schedule that I can really talk about. I would say follow me on social media Instagram.com/xanderworks for updates and announcements.

Icarus, 36×24 inches, Oil on Wooden Panel 2025

Where can people see your work in IRL or online, and how can people contact you for a studio visit?

You can follow me on Instagram @xanderworks, where you can message me directly, or reach out on my website, in the contact tab. I’ve also joined an online platform called The Tastemakers that connects artists and patrons for studio visits. My profile is there with available times to book a visit with this link: https://www.tastemakersart.com/artist/XXG1dycgTIdr8FBW9cnUsuZ81b83

Photo: Rocio Segura