Alexandra Merkx-Jacques

Scientist by day, Artist by night, Human the whole time. I know I am a very lucky person! I get to spend the day researching interesting biological questions and during the evenings and weekends, I also get to develop other creative sides of myself through painting. I'm a self-taught painter living in the HRM. I'm inspired primarily by nature, and as a hiker and scuba diver I've been able to find that inspiration both on land and underwater -- whether it's here at home in Nova Scotia, or wherever my travels bring me. People often ask me how long I've been painting and I'm never quite sure how to answer as I've been painting since I was a child at school. I don't remember officially starting to paint. However, a few years ago I realized I could counterbalance a professional scientific career by specifically dedicating time to painting. Green Monster Brushstrokes began at the end of 2014 as a way for me to support my art habit, but also for the fun and satisfaction of being able to share artwork that I had an emotional connection with and seeing that connection reflected in someone else. Furthermore, as a research scientist with a Ph.D. and a day job working in the fields of micro- and molecular biology, my background is a bit different than that of many other artists -- and as a result I'm strongly motivated to get the message out that scientists aren't stereotypical "nerds with lab coats" who can't be creative in real life! The best way for me to put it is that I see beauty in this world and want to explore it, both as a scientist and as an artist, and I'm incredibly fortunate to be able to do this.