Alexandra Albertsen

You describe yourself as a Danish/Romanian artist. How have these two cultural backgrounds influenced your imagination, visual language, and understanding of storytelling?

The themes used in my artworks are rooted into the Romanian literature, such as love, life and death, darkness and light, the sun and the moon, nature. The fantastic elements are my own imagination, and the storytelling is inspired by different fantasy novels that I have read throughout the years.

How did the fantasy world of A Sleepy Spirit Art first emerge, and what does this name represent for you personally?

The name “A Sleepy Spirit” was firstly used to define a DeviantArt account, in my teenage years. where I used to upload my drawings.

I kept the name, “A Sleepy Spirit” as a reminder from where it all started and added “Art” at the end.

Then, Ligia came into the picture, since I wanted to bring a structure to the fantasy world, so I needed a representative figure that can guide the viewers through my ideas.

Another important milestone was opening my blog, www.asleepyspiritart.com where I began posting my drawings and paintings, along with their stories.

As years go by, the world of A Sleepy Spirit Art is continuously developing.

Alexandra Albertsen | Forever Autumn | 2025

Who is Ligia, your alter ego, and what role does she play in guiding you through the worlds and stories depicted in your paintings?

Ligia is a small creature living on a blue flower, standing at the edge between light and darkness. She smokes an eternal cigarette and predicts my next dreams, into the smoke.

Ligia is inspired by the Caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland and her name is my grandmother’s name. I created Ligia to be the gatekeeper of the fantasy world. Ligia owns this fantasy world and therefore she is also the symbol of A Sleepy Spirit Art. In my blog, I write conversations with my alter-ego, where I depict my ideas as a dialogue between Ligia and myself. This dialogue is another way to present my artwork. Recently, I have recorded stories of my artwork and uploaded them on my YouTube channel. My viewers can find there, multiple dialogues between me and my alter-ego.

Alexandra Albertsen | Dream Keeper Night | 2026

Dreams are an important source of inspiration in your practice. Do you record your dreams, and how do you transform their atmosphere or imagery into a finished artwork?

I have a notebook where I write the ideas or the symbols from a particular dream that had a strong impact. Afterwards I go back to this idea and image it as a painting or a sketch, trying to figure out what elements to use to bring the message alive. Sometimes I go around with the idea for months in my head, before I put it on paper. Once I sketch it, I add the story to it. Afterwards, the idea is ready to be developed on canvas.

Your paintings feature recurring motifs such as celestial bodies, castles, hearts, ornamental plants, and fantastical figures. What personal or symbolic meanings do these elements carry?

For me, personally, they all define the state of existence in this world.

The celestial bodies define the eternal contrast between darkness and light, the sun and the moon which are constant in my paintings, because not only that they define the eternal opposites, but their relationship can also define an impossible love story. Whereas the hearts will always be a tribute to love, humanity’s primordial feeling.

The fantastic figures, castles and plants are the mix between the power of mother nature and the power of the human mind, that can mix these elements into creating fantasy worlds. They all have a story and bring a specific message to the viewer, a dream into another dream, a twisted idea or simply a re-interpretation of the four seasons.

Alexandra Albertsen | Human Vase Sketch

You often begin with simple sketches and a clear central message. How does the image change as you move from the initial sketch to the completed painting?

The central message remains the same, however depending on the size of the canvas, I add more symbolic meanings to painting, for example my painting “Human Vase” started as a sketch, depicting a vase with three flowers, each into a different stage of evolution. When I started painting it, I added the sun and the moon to opposite corners on the canvas, to emphasize the time passing and the evolution of the human, from childhood to old age. I attach the two pictures as an example.

Alexandra Albertsen | Human Vase

You aim to bring happiness to the viewer while also opening the heart to new ways of experiencing life. What emotions or thoughts would you most like people to carry with them after seeing your work?

Happiness and joy – I wish people to be surprised and amazed by the twisted and unusual ideas from my paintings, and to eventually relate to them. I also wish my paintings can bring a smile on their face.