She's Gotta Have Art

Sandra Metcalf '81 B.A., Art

Sandra Metcalf was an Air Force brat, who lived many places, including New Foundland, while growing up. When her father retired, he moved the family to San Antonio, which 10-year old Sandra grew to love and considers her hometown.

Her artistic talents emerged early and were recognized by age 12 when her watercolor

painting was displayed at North Star Mall. By 13 she had begun a modeling career, which she continues to dabble in to this day. She also does a bit of acting in independent films and theater. Sandra credits her time at Trinity with helping her gain confidence in herself as a fully realized individual and artist. "My professors," she explains, "especially my sculpting professor, helped me focus and believe in my abilities." Today there seems to be no end to those abilities.

Sandra's curiosity and interest in travel and other cultures led to teaching English as a Second Language at the Defense Language Institute at Lackland AFB, where she met students from around the world, and an urge to travel was ignited. Next came a move to New York and "one adventurous year as a flight attendant with Pan Am," which took her to all the capitals in Europe and resulted in 11 photo albums documenting her travels.

With her travel goals accomplished, Sandra was ready to focus on her creative talents and returned to Texas in 1990, settling in Austin where she explored her singing talent as a jazz vocalist while taking advanced courses in studio lighting and portraiture. That specialized training honed her skills in photography, one of her greatest loves, and led to the opening of her own studio, Alexandra Scott Photography, named for the pseudonym she had created at age six and used to sign her art work and poems because it sounded more "artistic." At the studio, she says, "I can use my creative drive, interact with the public, and try new and innovative photo techniques while photographing fashion, actors' headshots, family portraits, and weddings." Her photography, painting, and drawing have received numerous awards and recognition, and her work has been shown at galleries in Austin.

Recently, Sandra has found another outlet for creative expression. She has written a play that she had been planning for years. The Walls of Jericho, a drama set in the early 1960s, follows the challenges of an Air Force family living in the Cold War era and echoes the upheaval of the times between the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Kennedy assassination and beyond. It was performed to critical acclaim in January 2014 at The Hyde Park Theater. An expanded version was performed again in January 2015 at the Ground Floor Theater. Currently, she is adapting it for a screenplay to be made into a feature film.

With the same passion she brings to her artistic endeavors, Sandra gives generously of her time and talent to community initiatives. She began as a volunteer for the Austin Nature Center and Austin Wildlife Rescue Hotline. She also worked with the Center for Battered Women and the Walk for Safe Families in 1995. In recent years she has helped with ARCH of Austin, serving meals to local homeless men in need. In a legal capacity, she has served in the CASA program, representing children from at risk family situations with intervention as needed in their homes and in court. She has also served as a Precinct Judge in local and national elections.

Having a successful photography business, finding numerous outlets for creative expression, and being deeply engaged in her community, Sandra enjoys a rich, fulfilling life. For anyone one who might be hesitant about a career choice or unsure of their abilities, she offers this advice: "Follow your heart and don't focus on those who say you can't. Follow every path because even a crooked road or a dead end teaches more than hesitating or not trying. Most of all trust yourself. Never stop doing, planning, dreaming."

Sandra may be contacted at ascottphoto@hotmail.com.