artist statement
Alex Spragens (b. 1997, Kentucky) is a Chicago-based painter working primarily in figurative oil painting. His practice moves between naturalistic observation and expressive distortion, using layered surfaces and painterly gesture to explore psychological interiority within contemporary life. Drawing from everyday encounters in Chicago, Spragens constructs open-ended scenes shaped by recurring motifs such as masks, animals, and figures caught in moments of tension or quiet reflection.
In recent work, he has become increasingly interested in painting fleeting sensations, states of unease, anticipation, relief, or tenderness that resist clear language. Rather than illustrating events, his paintings attempt to hold these emotional atmospheres through gesture, color, and surface. The work considers how personal experience is shaped by broader social and political conditions while leaving space for ambiguity and sustained looking.
bio
Alex Spragens was born and raised in the Appalachian foothills of southeastern Kentucky. Drawing was an early fascination, and his interest in art was encouraged from a young age by both family and teachers. He attended Centre College in Danville, Kentucky on a Dramatic Arts scholarship before shifting his focus to studio art after studying with visiting artist Ty Wilkinson. At Centre, Spragens studied drawing and oil painting under Professor Sheldon Tapley and graduated with a major in Studio Art and a minor in Art History.
In 2020, Spragens presented his first solo exhibition, Moon Women: Reflections from Vietnam, at Centre College’s Aegon Gallery. Following graduation, he lived in Philadelphia, where he taught art in the Philadelphia School District and at the Philadelphia Museum of Art while exhibiting work locally. He later spent two years in Athens, Ohio, remaining active in the local arts community.
Spragens now lives and works in Chicago, with a studio in Rogers Park. He is deeply inspired by the city’s geography, architecture, and cultural life. Moving through Chicago shapes his observations and fuels his studio practice, and he is committed to developing his work within the city long term.