AMIRA AXE

I was born in New York City, and grew up in Connecticut. My mother is a creative person who shared her love of photography and painting with me at a young age. I have fond memories of different art making spaces she created in the different houses we lived in over the years. My dad is a dentist but has the mind of an artist and gardner, questioning and observing all things, and has a deep, deep heart and great patience.

I studied Architecture at the University of Miami for a year, but soon realized that fine art was my true passion, and studied Painting and Drawing at Purchase College in Purchase NY where I earned my BFA in 2008.

Following school, my partner and I traveled through Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay and Argentina, and volunteered with impoverished children. Early on in our travels I was intrigued by the artisanal markets, and soon connected with a local artist who taught me the art of macrame jewelry. We left South America and moved to Portland Oregon, where I focused my energy on building a jewelry business, AMiRA jewelry, featuring a line of handmade woven and metal jewelry which has since been shown and sold all over the world.

My hunger for painting and drawing laid somewhat dormant during these years, however surfacing from time to time. After spending seven years living in Portland OR where we were married and had our first child, we returned to the East Coast and lived in Brooklyn NY. During these years, I kept a studio for jewelry design and production with a separate area for painting and drawing. In 2018, I became quite focused on creating images based upon my family story, that of my own nuclear family and members from previous generations. I investigated how creating art with family members provided a space in which to connect different than any other. This was an especially powerful experience after living on the opposite coast from my family for the past seven years. The Collaborative Artistic Experience Project was the culmination of these works.

In 2019, we moved from New York City to Ridgefield, CT where I currently reside with my husband and two children, Jillian and Augustin. We turned the master bedroom of our home into an art studio by ripping up the rugs and painting the plywood floors. My family is quite supportive. My family has been, and continues to be a great source of inspiration for my work.