Hanging a piece of Xander’s art on your wall instantly dials up the brightness of a room. His high-spirited works are an exploration of colour and graphic forms, born from his outlook of not taking art (or himself) too seriously.
It took Xander many years of exploration to arrive at this point of contentedness. He always knew he wanted to do something creative – a curiosity that led him to art school, where he was exposed to the traditional gallery pathway of becoming a working artist. But Xander was unsure exactly where art school was going to take him after graduation, so he decided to explore other options while he was still young.
“You can say that I’m an art school dropout,” he laughs. “After that I was a hairdresser for a couple of years, and just pursued all the creative things, which all have similarity, but I was never sure of a direction.”
Eventually Xander found himself working in an interiors store. On the surface it was little more than another nine-to-five job, but it became the catalyst for him to return to art.
“Studying art, you learn about the gallery system, but I never knew that art could come up through stores and it’s a design product,” he says. “So, when I worked in an interiors retail store, I saw behind the scenes of that and I thought ‘I could actually do this’, and it all made sense.”
On a much deeper level, Xander connected with the accessibility of creating art outside of the gallery system. “Some people are scared to go to a gallery and ask questions or spend lots of money on a work of art, because they might have to know about the background or the meaning or what it challenges,” he says. “Whereas this other side of the art world is about a celebration of colour and design.”
As well as exposing him to a whole new way of thinking of about art, his work in interiors also taught Xander about working with colour and styling homes. He learned how to balance a room, the weights of certain colours and how to pull a look together using different hues.
The trick to decorating with different colours, he says, is learning how they work together and contrast, rather than having a single colour dominating a space. So, if you have earthy colours around your home, for instance, add in bright pink, purple or orange for contrast. His other piece of advice is to start small with something like a cushion and build your confidence from there.
As well as exposing him to a whole new way of thinking of about art, his work in interiors also taught Xander about working with colour and styling homes.
With a deeper understanding of colour and new perspective of art as a design piece, Xander finally had the confidence to return to his art practice. He began experimenting and slowly the foundations of his vibrant style fell into place. Most of his practice is self-taught and while the learning curve on the technical aspects of painting might have been smoother if he had finished art school, Xander doesn’t regret leaving his studies.
That is because when he looks back, he can see now how everything was leading him to art. Xander just wasn’t ready when he was younger – not because he wasn’t creative enough, but because he was still building his sense of self.
When Xander returned to art, not only was he approaching his practice with a newfound confidence around colour and interior style, he also had a deeper level of confidence within himself too. And that’s what gave him the conviction to finally put his work out into the world.
“Letting go of the idea of what people think, is something that stopped me from doing this sooner,” Xander says. “You get a bit of life experience under your belt and think, ‘Oh well, what’s the worst that will happen?’”
Xander began by sharing his colourful works on Instagram, providing a very public forum for the evolution of his practice. But Instagram has become far more than a testing ground for new pieces and collaborations – it is a primary source of motivation for Xander to keep pursuing his practice.
The positive reinforcement he gets from social media is a reaffirming experience, giving him the early validation, Xander needed to believe he could do it.
“Letting go of the idea of what people think, is something that stopped me from doing this sooner. You get a bit of life experience under your belt and think, ‘Oh well, what’s the worst that will happen’?”
Through social media, he has also connected with his stockists Jumbled and Fetch, met collaborators and attracted new fans.
Being able to reach people who are curious about art on social media is important to Xander, because buying art is something that intimidates a lot of people. When he worked in interiors, he would often meet people second-guessing their choices – especially around art. So, when people buy his work, he wants them to feel joy; unashamedly so. “Don’t buy what you think you ‘should’ buy,” he says. “Just buy what you really like because you will have to look at it every day. So, don’t let any of that pressure come into the process.”
Being able to reach people who are curious about art on social media is important to Xander, because buying art is something that intimidates a lot of people.
Xander’s new home is proof that you can put your stamp on any space. The winds of change have swept him and his partner into a pristine new build that has plenty of space for Xander, his partner Shaun, their two dachshunds and Xander’s home studio. “We personalised it with our art and a few sentimental pieces and it really started to feel like ours once we did that,” Xander says of the process of settling in and adding character.
He has long been an avid supporter of independent artists – something he has only grown more passionate about as he has started his own practice. “I have to be a customer as well as a maker,” Xander says. “If I expect my things to sell and for them to head out into the universe, I also need to contribute to that flow,” he says. “Now we have our own collection of art that feels like ours.”
That’s why there is little trace of Xander’s art on his walls at home – until you walk into his studio where, “It’s a little bit mad and a space to unleash the colour”.
Xander’s new home is proof that you can put your stamp on any space. The winds of change have swept him and his partner into a pristine new build that has plenty
of space…
When he steps into this space, time melts away as he finds a state of creative flow. The joy Xander feels when he is creating is perhaps the most telling sign he’s on the right path. “It has an element of an escape and doesn’t feel like work,” he says of his practice.
Content with art as his side hustle that provides a creative release, Xander plans to continue following his intuitive approach to creating with colour and hopes to start working on a range of homewares in future. He wants to encourage others to follow their own creative path too. “Let go of the idea of what people will think and the fear of not knowing what will happen,” he enthuses. “Let go of that and just do it.”
Xander’s top tips for decorating with colour
One. To maintain a sense of balance, use heavy colours in small doses.
Two. Try not to match colours in different pieces perfectly; play with contrasting tones instead for visual interest.
Three. Trust yourself: buy pieces that bring you joy, rather than what you think you ‘should’ buy.
Four. Experiment with colourful cushions and accessories as you build your confidence.
Five. Learn which colours complement and contrast the existing colours in your home.
Words: Melinda Halloran | Photography: Zoë Lonergan
As seen in Swell Issue 11. Grab your copy here.
