Alex is a watercolorist who went astray.
Her paintings usually have a germ of reality but then deteriorate into something blurry and abstract where the viewer supplies most of a missing picture. Animals pop in and out of a mist of lost edges, buildings simplify into lines...you get the point. Perhaps Dr. Tolstoy’s previous life as a mathematician was an omen of things to come. She just cannot stay within the lines now.
Alex has won awards, had articles published about her work, given demonstrations, and has been in over 200 exhibitions with 16 solo or semi-solo shows since 2013. She is a also member of numerous societies (both local and national). Things are interesting — rather like the old Chinese curse. But creation is great fun. And why not? Cheaper than a psychiatrist.
Her work is in private and corporate collections (such as the Ritz-Carlton) and is distributed throughout the US (including Hawaii), Great Britain, Canada, Japan, and the US embassy in Barbados.
Additionally, she features in a number of youtube videos and is an artist for ShopKeepArty.
To date there have been 16 solo or semi-solo shows including those at
the McLean Project for the Arts,
the Foundry Gallery,
the Alexandria Art League (Torpedo Factory),
the Gibson Gallery (Gibson Island),
and the Arts Club of Washington.
the Athenaeum (Alexandria),
Honors and Distinctions:include:
Named by Jean Haines as an ambassador in her online watercolor school
Honorable Mention in PVW exhibit at Green Springs VA
First place in Artists Coalition of Fairfax exhibit
A repeat winner in Reader’s Competition for The Art of Watercolor magazine Vols 38-49, & 51
Stormy Sea Under the Moon praised by L. Campello in the newspaper:
Old Town Crier. See https://oldtowncrier.com/2019/08/01/artmosphere/
Magazine covers of Acoustics Today
Artist in Residence for Acoustics Today
Demonstration for Annapolis Watercolor Club
Demonstration for McLean Art Society
paintings selected for the Montgomery Council for the Arts
Contest winner for “Rebirth” at:
https://www.artspan.com/art-articles/449/Rebirth%3A%20A%20Group%20Show
Artsy Shark featured artist
Invited painting for the Ella Fitzgerald traveling exhibit (Newport News VA)
paintings selected for US embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados
Quarter-finalist in 1st World Watercolor Competition (jurors: J. Gallizia, J. McFarlane, T. Hunt, X. Chen, N. Simmons)
Magazine articles:
2016 Article in Elan magazine October issue
2015 Article “Fluid Dynamics” in GW Alumni News Magazine (by M. Wecker)
2015 Article in Home and Design magazine Jul/Aug issue
2014 GW alumna article on line (by M. Wecker) http://www.gwalumni.org/2014/07/from-numbers-to-watercolors-an-alumnas-story/#.U9miVvmwLnQ
See also the five books of images (now also available as ebooks)
by A. Tolstoy on www.blurb.com:
‘Scapes (2015)
Olio (2015)
Mostly Landscapes 2 (2012)
Mostly Landscapes (2011)
Abstract Art (2010)
Work can also be seen on the following sites:
www.saatchiart.com
www.artfinder.com