Alexandra von Hellberg’s primary interest these days is geomancy and the magic of the natural world, but for more than a decade after she graduated from art school she immersed herself in engraving and printmaking.

She grew up in Eppan an der Weinstrasse, often abbreviated to Eppan or Appiano, in the German-speaking region of the Italian Tyrol, to which she still has strong links, and studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia (Academy of Fine Arts of Venice). Working on commissions for private collectors, she produced over a hundred new works from 1998 to 2009, mostly in the form of bookplates or Ex Libris, but the process of using acid to etch the zinc plates became too poisonous for her increasing sensitivity. So from 2009 she moved onto working with collage, then in 2010 went back to painting and drawing, exploring her new understanding of the fairy and other non-human worlds of the inner earth.

This interest in earth magic was inspired by meeting with Slovenian artist and geomancer Marko Pogačnik in 2008. Their discussions of his vision and work mirrored what she was trying to express in the depths of her being. Formerly invisible worlds became visible, helping her to see beyond the range of normal perception and to understand the nature and importance of geomantic healing.

In 2012 she moved to Glastonbury in the Isle of Avalon in southern England, where she works to live a life in harmony with the earth, offering geomantic walks and workshops and personal healing sessions. She also produces nature-based essences of places and energies for supporting spiritual development.

We are very grateful to our Russian friend Yuri for introducing us to this artist, and for supplying most of the images.

Similar artists

Konstantin Antioukhin – Russian contemporary bookplate engraver of dense allegorical, erotic-themed scenes.
Mikhail Gavrichkov – Russian contemporary etcher of erotic and folkloric ex-libris commissions.
Seiji Kamachi – Japanese contemporary master of erotic copper-engraved ex-libris and miniatures.
Peter Kocák – Slovak contemporary engraver of refined erotic bookplate commissions.
Marius Liugaila – Lithuanian contemporary engraver within the same award-winning ex-libris tradition.
Elfriede Weidenhaus – German postwar printmaker of erotic bookplates and miniatures.