Textile Artist
Alexandra Lush Benson
My name is Alexandra Lush Benson. I'm an aspiring textile artist with over 40 years of art experience.
I was born in the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain in the late 70's and moved to Massachusetts in the 80's. My parents, Steve & Nella Lush, are both artists. Growing up in New England I was surrounded by maritime artwork that both my parents painted; watercolors, oils, acrylics, mixed media and even handcrafted model shipwrights adorned every room of my childhood home.
As my parents talents gained notoriety in regional galleries, I found myself more inspired than ever to create. My doodles turned into full sketchbooks and then paintings. As I grew into adulthood I had the desire to learn new artforms to fulfill my urge to create in my own way. My art helped me understand my piece in the world.
When I was in college, I married my highschool sweetheart just after he commissioned in the US Navy. I was swept into a lifelong commitment to our growing family and to each other. After September 11th, we moved every two years for over twenty turbulent years.
During my husbands years of military service, my experience as a military spouse came with a wide array of emotions and experiences and the realization for tremendous personal growth through it all. Turning to art during the most turbulent years allowed me to better understand the world around me and find peace with every situation we found ourselves in. I discovered and mastered new art forms influeced by Western, Japanese and Polynesian cultures.
The common thread that weaved throughtout my life is my love of art and the desire to create. Twelve years ago, I started to sew and established a small business that I could pack up with every move. Creating handmade quilts and accessories fueled my passion to learn advanced techniques and experiment in new ways. I repurposed antique Japanese silk textiles into wearable evening accesories. I saved old fashioned bedsheets to incorporate into period quilts. I upcycled hawaiian shirts into bags and home decor.
During all my years of sewing, I have developed an extensive collection of scraps and with these scraps I have come to love creating textile art pieces which bring an entirely new feeling of satisfaction. Just as life is always changing, I am always experimenting, trying new forms of fabric manipulation with different mediums.
Our life is more stable now that my husband is retired from the Navy and teaching at our local high school. I have a dedicated space for my art that no longer needs to be packed up and I find my creativity blossoming knowing theres no end date for packing up and moving again. And so this website was born, as a spot for me to display the art i create.
https://youtu.be/cMO9K9ke5bE?si=6hT5MMkh7iVUPYQX