One thing is clear when seeing Alexandria Canchola’s illustrations: her fondness of color. Based in Texas, her work is often inspired by a fondness for storytelling, letterforms, filmmaking, and – naturally – color.
“I love color, I love type, I love stories,” she relayed in an interview with Ballpitmag. “The aesthetic choices found in the illustration work: flat areas of color, simplification of forms and figures, a bold and vibrant color palette, and a playfulness with perspective.” Through narrative storytelling, her work explores universal and often unresolved themes that have preoccupied mankind since the beginning of time. According to her, color is used to document the human experience by connecting narrative and emotion.
With a bachelor’s degree in Government and Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and an MFA in 2D Design from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, her work is very much based around narrative and composition. Having worked for publications, small businesses and non-profits as a designer, illustrator, and creative director, her goal is to solve problems creatively. Add to that her personal approach to design and illustration, and you’ll understand what makes her work as powerful as it is.
“There’s something about each one of us that lends ourselves to a story,” says Canchola. “My work is inspired by and draws from the narrative; a personal form of storytelling that helps us to make sense of the everyday, of the societal patterns we see and the relationships we experience. My intent is to blur the distinctions between our perceptions of reality and our creations within it. The color palettes used to subvert the viewer’s idea of emotion; centering on themes such as loneliness, solitude, and voyeurism and showcasing these emotions in the bright powerful hues in which we feel them.”
Through her work, she hopes to empower others and make a difference by crafting work that is creative, engaging, and meaningful. Take a look at some of her striking creations below:
