LexaLuna Studio
Where Patience Finds Peace
Patience. Patience is something we have all been challenged with in light of recent global events. Staying home, inside and safe has proven to be a more complex request than we might have thought. Patience is something Alexa has been practicing in these times and has been working on shifting her focus and priorities to her health, physically and mentally. When you are not healthy, your art can suffer as well. The way you express yourself creatively can sway as intimately as your mood. Learn how Alexa Villanueva’s creative journey with starting LexaLuna Studio, brought her to become more present, and therefore move forward in creating with more intention and heartfelt gratitude.
Like many of us Alexa has always lived with creative bones. She believes that all of us are born creative and curious. Though after working years in the corporate world of architecture, the fires of her creative passions began to dwindle. She knew she needed a shift. Today, she owns and runs her clay ceramics business from her home studio, complete with a wheel and kiln. With illustration being her first love, you will find most of her ceramic pieces decorated with beautiful splashes of hand painted designs. After illustration it was sewing, then woodworking, and any artform that she could have a tangible relationship with. There is something different about being able to create something and then utilize it in everyday life. This is what initially brought her into the world of ceramics. Alexa loves creating vases, coffee mugs, candles, incense holders and more to help you turn your house into a home. The idea of being able to create something with your hands that you can utilize as a tool and be able to make it beautiful all at once is so intriguing. Alexa’s background in architecture and initial love for illustrating have come together here in the perfect mix. In today’s world of clean cut edges, and a constant need for a sleek sexy look…our eyes are now more than ever drawn to things that make us think, creations with a story. That’s just what Alexa’s studio LexaLuna achieves.
“I love working with customers one-on-one to create functional pieces that will soon become part of their daily routine, like morning coffee!”
Before our lives all got turned upside, you would have been able to find Alexa and her LexaLuna Studio creations at art markets around the greater Seattle area. Since in-person art markets have been canceled for the next few months, it’s times like these that she (and all of us!) are grateful for online social platforms and emails that allow us to reach customers and get continue to be able to create custom orders. It has been so lovely to see how our creative communities have come together during these times to support one another with hashtags like ‘support small businesses’ and ‘support local art’, creating online market places that keep us all supported and inspired.
Most recently Alexa has been creating a collection of plateware for the Seattle based restaurant, Archipelago, that serves Pacific Northwest cuisine through progressive Filipino American flavors.
“Being a Filipino American myself, I hope the custom plates I’ve designed capture the restaurant’s unique and empowering spirit.” - A.V.
Empowering spirits is something we all strive towards. Whether it is empowering ourselves, our culture, the spaces we live in, or others. The good in us always strives to empower what is right. As artists, our art can serve as many forms of empowerment. As shown through the work LexaLuna Studio produces, we can look to Alexa as an inspiration of how to create with true intention. Not only is she creating one-on-one for her customers, doing outreach projects for her Filipino community, but she is also currently working on a series of tarot-inspired vases for her very own exhibit at Fringe (a gallery in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle). With Alexa’s love for making others feel at home and in tune with themselves, she is also offering Heart-Centered Tarot readings in the meantime of the release of her tarot-inspired creations that will be on display starting September of this year.
These Heart-Centered Tarot readings aim to create a space to support our hearts through these times of grief, loss, pain, anger and the overall flood of emotions that has been running through our communities. Not only resulting from the pandemic of COVID-19, but also with the movement of Black Lives Matter and the unfair losses of lives that demand to be properly addressed. 100% of the profits from Alexa’s tarot readings will go to an organization of each reading’s choice. These will be offered on a sliding scale as well as completely free of charge for BIPOC. You can learn more about Alexa’s journey to continue to stay present, compassionate, and learning from each moment on her instagram page @lexalunastudio.
“In the tarot, the Devil (oppression) comes before the Tower. We have lived under the Devil for far too long, oppressing our black communities in ways big and small. We are living in the moment of the Tower now, where our foundations and structures of oppression are shattering. May we all continue to fight for justice so we can live in the hopeful grace of the Star. I love you all and hope you are sage and find some comfort in this time. I stand with you.” -A.V.
