Sep 14, 2015 8 Questions with: Andy Alexander a.k.a. The Grim Wreather
I could write pages about the eye-popping, other-worldly precision of my friend Andy Alexander‘s fine art or his esteemed art direction and branding gigs for huge companies. Yet sometimes it’s oddball personal projects that start off as a lark but take a life of their own, and that’s the case with the Grim Wreather. The Pasadena-based artist (who is obsessed not with perfectly frozen smiles at the Rose Parade in Old Town but the mysterious intersection of JPL, Cal Tech, and Art Center College) creates thoughtfully twisted takes on Christmas wreaths that will give nightmares to sensitive kids and delight to Halloween believers.
How would you describe The Grim Wreather project?
Art meets haute Halloween. I want to own the “hautehalloween” hash tag.
How did it evolve into what it is?
My son Jack has always been drawn to the spooky and macabre, so I spend an incredible amount of time at Stats and the Spirit Store with him. My sister-in-law’s birthday is on Halloween, so one day in Stats I saw a “grapevine wreath” and it just clicked. I decided to make a Halloween wreath, gave it to her, and posted pictures on Facebook. Next thing I knew, everybody was asking me to make one for them.
Where do you find inspiration?
The 99 Cent Only Stores, Stats, and plastic flowers, but mainly the “kitsch” decorations themselves. Some Halloween decorations are incredible sculptures. Also, I am inspired by the shape of the wreath: the circle. There are so many variables on where to place the decorations and I always try to keep pushing the layout so they aren’t all the same. Every time I make a new one, I want it to be different and unique–even if it’s a variation of an older wreath.
Do you have a typical customer?
Most people know me from the “art world,” so I get a lot of customers who buy the wreaths thinking of them as really well-priced works of art. My wreaths have been selling primarily through word-of-mouth and social media, and I can only make so many each season so I usually sell out. I had someone buy one this year who couldn’t get one last year.
What does your average work day look like?
It’s a mess. I have limited time to work while Jack is at kindergarten. So I have to prioritize what’s the most important thing to get done in the day. When he’s in school, it’s pedal to the metal. Right now I am trying to get the word out as fast as I can, so I spend a lot of time online wishing I was in the studio. When I am in the studio, it’s the flow: the reason why am an artist. It’s my fingers twisting wires and hot gluing and time stands still. I love it.
Got a favorite non-work-related destination?
Palm Springs, Lake Tahoe, and Jerome, Arizona. My husband Brandon and I like to go to ghost towns.
I know you like science fiction, too. Is your book club reading anything cool at the moment?
We are continuing to read our favorite author, Gene Wolfe, and are currently reading the tenth book in The Book of The New Sun series. I would really like to read The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu, the best-selling Chinese sci-fi novelist. I’ve read Eastern European sci-fi, like Stanislaw Lem, but I have never read anything from China.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grow up?
A figure skater. I loved the outfits.
Find out more about Andy and the Grim Wreather at goodworkandy.com and grimwreather.com. And follow Imprint on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, too!