The Art of Xan

I first met Alexandra during the holiday season of 2004 when we both manning a booth for Lake Erie Artists (a co-op back then) at a Borders store in Westlake, Ohio.

My first impression of her was that she was very different from me. She was younger, she was very into raw foods, and her hair was a combination of blonde, orange, and pink.

Over the few hours that we spent together, manning the booth, what I discovered was that with all of our outer differences, we were much more alike.

Alexandra really impressed me that day. I was so overwhelmed by her sincerity, her kindness, and her easy nature. She came across to me as a person who never judges others, but takes people as they are and welcomes them into her world. And that image of her has held true through all of my own interactions with her since then, and the interactions that I have observed with others.

Alexandra is what I think people would describe as a "gentle soul". She is an activist for creating a healthier world through recycling, but is never what I think of as a stereotypical activist. Alexandra never, ever pushes her ideas in your face. She leads by example, and I am proud to know her.

My current focus is giving life to man made objects by using recycled materials, fabrics, fiberglass and the human body in an exploration of color, weight, movement, density and structure. The resulting pieces are speculative rather than historical, reflecting the sleek, fast, technological work that draws us in, toward the future.

Alexandra Underhill grew up in Elmira, NY and came to Cleveland to attend the Cleveland Institute of Art, from which she graduated with honors in 1993. In the years since, she has continued to expand her professional career in sculpture and jewelry, as well as in the theater arts, in set design, costuming and installation. Alexandra has worked, lived and traveled through Africa, Asia, Micronesia, The Middle East, and Central America, and her conscious integration of foreign experience, rhythms and religions is reflected in her works.
He current work is an amalgam of memories and dreams, providing a visual dichotomy between heavy, succulent, reptilian, coral-like surfaces and soft, sandy, mummified forms.

My materials are my tools. They teach me about the wisdom of inter-connections.- says Alexandra.

She offers the viewers a cornucopia of retinal and visceral experiences via the emphasis placed on the synergy that occurs between the materials and the processes utilized. This is achieved through the marriage of diverse, often organic materials (such as African porcupine quills, sand, bronze screen, cinnamon sticks, rubber, avocado shells, tissue paper, and wire) and the unique transitions between them, using a wide range of processes (such as electroforming, drilling, repetitive stitching and edging, and painting).

According to Alexandra: "Travel has undeniably shaped the evolution of my work. I gravitate towards underdeveloped countries as I find their ways of life and topographies less synthetic and less jaundiced by the effects of progress. Immersing myself in foreign cultures with different languages and different rules, forces me to confront myself, and to rely on alternative means of survival. It enables me to study rhythm on many levels, to see the inter-relationships with greater clarity, and to be enlightened by nature, time and time again. The resolution of each piece I create always entails finding a visual, emotional and spiritual balance."

PEOPLE IN STYLE (From Cleveland Plain Dealer Wed. July 9, 2008)

In AlterNation, Shannon Okey and Alexandra Underhill share their creative secrets.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008 Evelyn Theiss Plain Dealer Reporter

One of the few drawbacks some people have found in shopping thrift or vintage stores is that clothes can be too darn small.

Mostly. Or they're too big or too long, or they don't fit in some other way.

Sounds like a problem, right? Not to Alexandra Underhill. She's an artist, so on such occasions, she sees opportunities.

Skirt or shirt too small? Cut into it just right, and add a crisscross bodice tie. See a permanent ink spot on the long sleeve of the T-shirt you love? Cut off both sleeves, and add half a scarf to each shoulder for a new look -- a Jackie O-in-Athens-style top.

Those are just a few of the hundreds of creative solutions Underhill, 38, (a raw-food devotee who looks 23) has devised.

She has long been reworking clothes to fit her body and aesthetic, but now, in the new book "AlterNation," which she co-authored with local knitting guru Shannon Okey, she shows the rest of us -- even those with minimal sewing skills -- how to do it. "Reduce, reuse, recycle," Okey and Underhill say in the book. "We'd like to see everyone, coast to coast, daring to be different by remaking clothes in their own style.

"No more cookie-cutter catalog dictators telling you what to wear; no more buying everything off the rack." And even if you do buy something, there are easy ways to individualize it, says Underhill, who occasionally buys a garment at a discount store. She has cut off the hems of her black stretch dance pants and made a cool headband from them. Then she has topped the pants with a cheerleader-length skirt sewn from men's ties.

"Set the trends, don't follow them," is her mantra.

Underhill came to Cleveland from her hometown of Elmira, N.Y., to study at the Cleveland Institute of Art, majoring in fiber arts. She began working in costume design for the avant-garde Cleveland dance company SAFMOD and as part of the costume department for some Cirque du Soleil tours.

"Everything always led to clothes," she says. Now she sells some of her fashion redesigns (and jewelry that she makes) at local galleries and markets.

Underhill is also a dancer and stilt-walker, well-known to the crowds at Parade the Circle, and teaches art workshops around the country.

For this book, she created most of the looks. (Okey did the ones that required knitting or crocheting.) "I'd make the stuff, and Shannon was the writer," says Underhill, whose home and studio are on the near West Side. "We did it all in three months." For the 5-foot-3 Underhill, it was an extension of what she did with her own wardrobe.

"I was constantly shortening or adding insets," she says.

If something was too big, she didn't just take it in. "That would be too boring," she says. Instead, she thought of a different silhouette, perhaps decorating with zippers or laces.

"What we did for the book were the simplest designs," so even a person with minimal sewing/crafting skills could do them, she says. "And it doesn't even have to be about buying. Before you get rid of stuff you have, look at it in a new light, and make it into something new."

Alexandra recycles men's neckties into many new fashions. And her work is superb. Every piece she makes shows her care and quality.

The most interesting thing is that the ugliest men's ties make the most beautiful fashions. Here are some of the items she makes:

Tie wallets:
I love the tie wallets. They are made from the wide part of the tie into a perfect size for business cards, a cell phone, or change. I use mine for my business cards.

Tie skirts and tie aprons:
The tie skirts go all the way around, and the tie aprons have straps that tie in the back. Both are meant to be accessories to go over yoga pants or leggings.

Tie purses:
Full sized purses made out of neckties are my personal favorite of all of Xan's work so far. They are exquisitely made, and very attractive. Xan uses ties for the body of the purse, and then makes the handles from other materials like leather, wood, and plastic.

Xan also makes other designs out of ties, including vests, bibs, and jean skirts. You can see pictures of all these items throughout the lens. For more information on purchasing these items, contact sales@lakeerieartists.com.

AlterNation
With this book, readers will make something cool without spending a ton of money. Step-by-step photos showcase fun projects and readers will learn basic skills throughout the pages. Unlike other titles that focus only on t-shirts or sweaters, AlterNation offers something for everyone with a wide range of projects such as handbags, skirts, leathercrafts, painted shoes and more. In no time, readers will find themselves creating their own personalized DIY fashions.

Recently, Alexandra started making blouses out of a t-shirt base and scarf sleeves.

These are really nice designs that appeal to a wider range of clientele than the tie skirts. I really like them and I can't wait because she is making one for me!