Correspondent photo / Maurita Hoffman Alexis Reeves is a local artist who works in many media and genres.

Alexis Reeves, 30, grew up in Southington, in a home her parents built “off the grid.” She and the family “chopped wood and hauled water,” which, she said, built “a lot of character.” Growing up off the grid meant no internet or computer, but the family did “have a tiny, boxy, black and white television.”

Reeves was homeschooled until she was 8 years old, when she was then enrolled in Southington schools before attending Trumbull Career and Technical Center in high school. As a 2014 graduate of TCTC, Reeves earned credits in interactive media and graphic arts.

Reeves said that growing up in the country without the electronic distractions of modern life set the stage for her career in sculpture, artistry and graphic design. She was always coloring or drawing growing up and noted, “As soon as I could hold a pencil, I was drawing.”

She said her mother, Elizabeth Reeves, a wood sculptor, inspired her and taught her how to “respect the natural order of things.”

Reeves added, “She often took me on treasure hunts to find bones for sculpting.”

After graduation, Reeves had several jobs, all of which were “creative and educational.” Currently, when she is not pursuing her own creative endeavors, she works full time as the pre-press coordinator at Color 3 Embroidery in Warren. She is responsible for all aspects of the screen-printing process to be in order. She said most of the work there is contract copying, but she has “done some custom work.”She said she loves screen printing because “it incorporates physical labor and art.”

“I’ve found my forte,” she said. “I love all of it — collaborating with the clients, correcting anything needed in the film so that the screen design is correct.”

In addition to her graphic artwork and screen printing, she is a sculptor. Her sculptures are “99 % commission based” — mostly for businesses.

Reeves sculpts on bones, and she credited her mother with teaching her how to find the correct bones and work with them.

“It is surprisingly easy to find bones to work on,” she explained. “I find them in the woods, by the side of the road, and hunters contact me when they have a carcass I can use.”

She noted that preparing the bones for sculpting takes a significant amount of time and work.

“Some of the bones are good — just need cleaned to start working on,” she said, and added, “It all depends on the decomposition of the animal and how much cleaning that needs to be done.”

Reeves also paints.

“I am immensely proud of my first big project, a mural, ‘The Alligator,’ I painted for River Gate High School in Warren,” she said.

Though she paints with mostly acrylics, she doesn’t limit her painting to any one genre. She does portrait painting of weddings, pets and lifestyles, but mostly, she said, “I do a lot of ‘horror-based’ themes.”

For those coming to sit for her portraits, Reeves does special effect make-up. These effects can include making her clients look like monsters or zombies or whatever they choose.

“This year, for a client, I created a zombie Thanksgiving feast that was totally edible,” she said.

She explained that the menu featured edible foods for zombies.

“We used special lighting to add to the atmosphere,” Reeves added.

Reeves noted that all her sculpting and painting work is done for clients and found “by word of mouth” — though she does have a Facebook page that illustrates some of her work.

Reeves enjoys her work and is always on the lookout for ways to expand her knowledge and talents. In addition to her painting, screen printing and make-up scheduling, she is illustrating a children’s book — “a nature-based sketch for a friend who wrote it,” she explained. She plans to have the sketches ready by February.

Cottage Core is the nature-based pottery business she is just getting underway. She said she wanted to create pottery with “a natural motif.” Reeves said that she was at a market two years ago and threw out the idea of making pottery and people asked for custom “mushroom cups and plates that look like sawn logs, perfect for a tea party.”

Reeves recently purchased a kiln, though she admitted she has no experience in pottery but plans to teach herself to do it.

“I want to get all the items — the kiln, the clay, the wheel — all ready to be FDA approved, food safe and ready to use and able to be washed in a dishwasher,” she said.

Her friends are ready to help her set up the kiln and the pottery studio.

“It will be up to code,” Reeves insisted. “if I need any special permits or licenses, I will get them.”

Reeves said she plans to participate in more vendor shows in the future. She said she would like to be able to exhibit her work at the Oddities and Curiosities Expo. According to its website, Oddities and Curiosities Expo is a vendors’ market “that showcases weird, bizarre and creepy vendors and entertainment.”

The expo travels nationally.

“It is a big deal — the one in Cleveland was held at the IX Center and I would love to be able to participate in that,” Reeves said.