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Alexandra Vernon Papers

 Collection

Scope and Content Note

From the Collection:

This collection consists largely of correspondence in the form of note cards, postcards, photographs and gallery notices, displaying the art of Alexandra Vernon, an award-winning artist, who lived in New England from 1981 until about 2000. She exhibited her work frequently in the Boston area from 1995 to 2000, and her work is also found in private collections.

In 1999 Alexandra (Alex) Vernon described her evolution as an artist for the Chameleon Gallery in Newburyport, Massachusetts:

Self taught, my major influences were the painting I studied in books, museums, and the many galleries in New York which I haunted as a teenager. My main sources of inspiration have been 14th and 15th century Italian, Bauhaus, and the expressionist artists.

I did my first collage at the age of twelve and it has been my primary medium throughout the years, evolving to include the addition of watercolors in the works. My tools consist of very basic materials: a double thick board, sharp scissors, Elmer's glue and a good sable brush. I am constantly trying to refine my technique, and explore new composition. My intent is to depict the subject matter, not only seen with the physical eye, but also how it might be seen in a spiritual sense, or perhaps in another realm of existence.

The eleven folders in the collection span the years 1991 to 2000. The correspondence is addressed to a close friend, Britta Karlberg of South Hamilton, Massachusetts. Included are about 40 note cards hand drawn by Alex Vernon and about 75 postcards and photographs showing reproductions of her work. There are also gallery announcements and price lists from her exhibitions in Boston and Cambridge, and in many towns north of Boston including Newburyport, Beverly Farms, South Hamilton, Lowell, and Burlington. Also present are news articles about her and a resume she wrote in 1998.

Dates

  • Creation: 1991-2000

Creator

Restrictions on Access

This collection is open for research use.

Extent

From the Collection: 1 linear feet (2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Repository Details

Part of the Phillips Library Repository

Contact:
Peabody Essex Museum
306 Newburyport Turnpike
Rowley MA 01969 USA