Alexander Fals
MEDIUM /// FORAGED PIGMENT PAINTINGS
From a lineage of artists, scholars, and revolutionaries for social justice, Alexander Fals is a genre all his own. His paintings are not just wall hangings, but windows into a magical world where all things have beauty and mystery. The mineral pigments he uses are colors that have been underground in ancient volcanic deposits, lying dormant for centuries. Each color has a unique mineral composition, many of which are naturally flecked with Mika, stones and crystals.
Born in Naples NY, 1990, to mother Lauren Sherwood (Naples, NY), and father Roberto Fals (Popayán, Colombia), Alexander spent his seventeenth year as an exchange student living with his Grandfather, Dr. Jaime Fals Borda, in Colombia. He then returned to New York to study Environmental Conservation and Ecology at Finger Lakes Community College. After leaving school in 2011, Fals decided to blend his love for ecology, evolution, and Colombia. He moved to Popayan and began painting, using a technique regionally pioneered by his Uncles, Henry and Billy Fals: foraging for vibrant naturally occurring pigments and processing them into paint using a strong yet biodegradable adhesive.