Meet the Alexa Washbag
The newest member of the Romilly Wilde family; meet The Alexa Washbag. Showcasing the timeless ‘Voyeur’ portrait from artist Alex Russell Flint, Alexa will be a unique answer to your practical beauty and skincare needs. Made from vegan leather, Alexa captures a feeling of solace and self care, which remains ever prominent at Romilly Wilde and in the ever-evolving world around us. Russell Flint’s ability to strike a balance between the classical and contemporary within his art aligns superbly with Romilly Wilde, through the brand’s philosophy to take a clean and simple ingredient and develop it under contemporary methodology, to reach the ultimate, beautiful result.
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Spotlight on: Alex Russell Flint
Russell Flint specialises in beautifully crafted, representation portraits and narrative works in both oil and charcoal. His timeless paintings of strong, alluring females, placed in intriguing situations or simply posed portraits, showcase his ability to celebrate tradition as well as modern expression and feeling.
Great-grandson of the artist Sir William Russell Flint, Alex has exhibited in solo, joint and group shows in London, Ireland and the United States, as well as taking countless commissions. His artwork has been featured on the front cover of cult-classic novels including Donna Tartt’s ‘The Secret History’, and his French home included in various interior design publications, such as Condé Nast’s ‘The World of Interiors’.
A note from Susie
“The moment I came across Alex’s work I was infatuated. The mood, the intensity and the strength that his portraits conveyed, yet with a romantic and timeless quality. Alex is a truly talented yet private and modest person whose traditional approach to portraiture brings a unique style to the canvas. I have two pieces from him, Magda and Olivia and they are always talked about and really resonate with Romilly Wilde and our ‘Romantic vs Rebellious’ mood. When I first asked whether Alex would be prepared to share ‘Voyeur’ I was so excited as I feel that is captured a stillness and idleness that we should all adopt into our lives, especially now.
Marrying Art to Beauty seems a natural connection plus having a covetable, practical beauty bag to contain all your favourite beauty products is a dream come true. We are very excited and proud to be offering such a unique gift.”
– Susie Willis, Founder – Romilly Wilde
Q&A with Alex Russell Flint
1) – How do you come up with the titles for your paintings?
Apart from portraits when i tend to simply use the name of the model, I try to choose titles that are fairly ambiguous and open to different interpretations. I want them to add mystery and leave the viewer guessing what’s taking place in the picture. I try to make paintings that are beautiful but with a touch of tension or the possibility of menace about them. It’s like seasoning a dish. You want to get just the right balance. A slightly jarring title on an otherwise innocent seeming picture, or an innocuous title on a painting that at first glass seems a little shocking can help to achieve this. It’s always a challenging part of the process.
2) – How did you get into painting?
My Great Grandfather was a well known painter, Sir William Russell Flint. He died before i was born but remained a great presence within the family and i grew up with his pictures on the walls of our and other family members’ houses. That made art a real possibility, and set a standard to strive for. Much of his work focused on women in beautifully dilapidated old buildings in France and Spain – a sensibility i seem to have inherited.
3) – We feel like there’s a perfect connection between art and beauty. Do you agree?
I guess that depends on the art! And what you find beautiful. But yes, I’d probably agree with that.
4) – What does beauty mean to you?
Timelessness, elegance, simplicity.
5) -As we head into another lockdown, what will you be focusing your time on?
Living in the middle of the remote French countryside, I feel like I’ve been quarantining for the past decade! Maybe because of this, many of my paintings over the years seem to be imbued with a sense of isolation and wistfulness – themes strangely poignant in this weird Covid era. I’ll be continuing to paint as I have been doing, and getting some new work ready to share soon…
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