Xander: Barefoot Brushworks
Xander is the artist behind Barefoot Brushworks, where he creates watercolor paintings primarily of fantasy landscapes. The name reflects two core ideas: "Barefoot" relates to connecting with the earth, starting a journey, and feeling the process firsthand. "Brushworks" highlights his chosen medium, watercolors, and the way each brushstroke deliberately builds and shapes the final image.
Born in Fort Collins Colorado, Xander started with art as a child with an innate passion for creating. Wishing to learn and expand views he continued his exploration and training at the University of Hawaii. It was there that he trained and forged his skills from other artists such as Reem Bassous, Linda Yamamoto, Fred Roster, Shawn Spangler, and Rick Mills. He later returned to his love for painting. He now works primarily with watercolors, enjoying the process of layering, building, and playing with transparency to build up the image, which reminds him somewhat of sculpting.
Xander finds inspiration in high fantasy stories, like those by Brandon Sanderson, and from building worlds for tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons. Many of his paintings explore locations within "Carcer," a world he created for his own campaigns and projects. His process often includes research – spending time in nature, looking up real-world places for reference, or visualizing scenes described in books – all to help capture the feeling of stepping into these fantasy settings.
Xander uses watercolor's transparency alongside areas of high contrast. He often paints figures as dark silhouettes against lighter backgrounds, which helps draw the viewer's eye and invites them to imagine being that figure. He also plays with scale, placing small figures in large landscapes to create a sense of wonder and emphasize the vastness of the environment. By usually showing figures from behind, he aims to make it easier for viewers to see the scene from that perspective.
Through his art, Xander hopes to offer viewers a brief escape into a different world, a chance to imagine being somewhere else or someone else. He believes in the power of imagination and wants his work to convey the feeling of exploring places – real or invented – that feel expansive and intriguing.
Currently, Xander is focused on building his portfolio, creating more work set in his world of Carcer that serves as a living growing setting for his D&D campaigns and personal stories.. He shares his art and updates on Instagram and TikTok (@barefootbrushworks). He’s also interested in exploring photography to find ways of capturing a similar sense of the fantastical in the real world. Ultimately, he hopes his art encourages people to appreciate the journeys possible through creativity.
