Mesmerizing Whirlwind Painting

Polish-born, New York-based artist Alexandra Pacula (b. 1979) paints large-scale works that explore the dynamic energy of cities at night. With virtuosic brushwork, vibrant color, and fluid gesture, Pacula captures the motion and chaos as well as the sublime beauty of urban space. Her streets are filled with light that travels almost of its own accord within the compositions, and she has developed a nontraditional style of painting that combines impressionism, expressionism, and photorealism. The resulting paintings ensnare the eye and transport the viewer to another dimension, reminiscent of the fleeting yet mesmerizing moments that take place only in the big city. Pacula's work has been exhibited throughout the US as well as Russia, Spain, London, and Paris. In 2010, she was the recipient of a Fellowship in Painting from the New York Foundation for the Arts as well as a one-year residency at the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation, sponsored by the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation. Pacula was also the 2008 winner of the Saatchi Showdown Competition. Pacula received her MFA at Montclair State University in 2006 and her BFA from Rutgers in 2002. She works and lives in Brooklyn.