About Alexandra​
In 1068 the Baron of Odell received land from William the Conqueror and the good fortunes and magic touch of the Odell family began. Alexandra is this generation's gift from the Odell family line. An artist of international stature, her work is in the private collections for Mrs. Ronald Reagan, Diana, Princess of Wales, Ron Wood (Rolling Stones), long time family friends, Gordon Hanes (Hanes hosiery and undergarments), and Eli Springs (Springs Mills); just to name a few. She has received many grants, awards and special recognitions. Her prodigious talents developed when she was quite young.
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When she was 6 years old, her work was exhibited at the Mint Museum in Charlotte, N.C., the White House and the first Freedom Train where her silk screen print hung above the school desk of Abraham Lincoln. By the age of 8 she was a professional artist with an impressive clientele. When she was in her preteens, her work was selected for an exhibit in public libraries throughout the United States and later exhibited internationally. Although her parents divorced when she was only two, she was profoundly influenced by them both during her formative years. Her father was the renown architect, A.G. Odell Jr., a member of the Society of the Cincinnati and the youngest and first Southerner to serve as president of the American Institute of architects. Her mother, Polly Robinson Wilcox, was a socialite whose heritage connects her to a signer of both the American and the North Carolina Declaration of Independence. Her maternal grandfather was Chairman of the board of the Duke Power Company and her uncle President.
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When the debutante season came around, Alexandra rejected the offer of debuts in Raleigh North Carolina, Elsinore Denmark and Venice Italy for the opportunity of studying three-dimensional design and animated display under noted designer Jack Pentes. Instead, she endured her debut in Charlotte, North Carolina. At the age of 22, Ecuador awarded Alexandra the coveted Cultural Visa. With nearly the same privileges of a diplomat, she was able to travel freely about South America. She designed and exported many fashions and accessories to fine boutiques such as Henri Bendel of New York City. Although she is profoundly aware and appreciative of her family's Influence, Alexandra’s privileged and unusual education and travels, through much soul searching, contemplation and constant dedication to the growth of her multifaceted gift, she has chosen to reject the outer trappings of that stature and seek the cultural and spiritual essence of her heritage. That essence can be experienced in her work, especially in her portraiture. The prolific diversity of Alexandra's work is the result of a mastery of all art forms.
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The vast scope of her experiences and a value system based on character rather than affluence. She has been quoted as saying the influences on her work are Walt Disney, Jesus Christ, L.S.D. and her mom. Polly recognized her talent at age 3 when she presented her with a perfect rendering of the shrimp cocktail she had the night before. At age 7, her mom took her to New York City to meet Albert Ketchum Murray, world renown portrait artist, who claimed his imagination was stunted at age 6 due to early training in still life. Polly heeded his advice and enrolled Alexandra in every craft class she could find, hired private tutors, set up a charge account at the local art supply store where Alexandra could ride her bike to buy supplies. Although Alexandra was making money by age 8, she still charged her supplies to her mom so that her mom could make sure she was growing as an artist by buying everything type of artist materials and experimenting with them. Her first formal lesson was at age 12 in the adult portrait class at the Mint Museum in Charlotte. Her strong humor at least partly a result of melding all her early childhood influences.
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It's magical, uplifting and always very human, just like Alexandra herself.