Featured Collector
Intentional · Elemental · Red
MD, FACS — Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Alexandra with Stefanie Bales
Where She Calls Home
San Diego, CA
Favorite Colors
Red and black
Favorite Travel Destination
"I'm drawn to places that feel vast and grounding at the same time. Cliffs over the ocean, wide horizons, landscapes that remind you how small you are — and how powerful you can become within that scale."
Bucket List
To build something enduring: a legacy that outlives me.
Fun Fact
"I see surgery as art. When the loupes go on, we sew vessels with 7‑0 and 8‑0 suture. We restore circulation. We stand between life and death. It's precision, discipline, and vision — not unlike painting."
"I was drawn to her work immediately — the way she uses light against shadow. There's realism, but also transcendence. Her paintings feel grounded in nature yet elevated beyond it. That tension felt familiar."
Her Collection
The most meaningful piece is Mars Exalted, Venus Rising, which Stefanie created for Alexandra's 39th birthday. It represents integration — art capturing what language cannot.
The Signature Piece
"It is not decorative. It is structural."
Stefanie created this portrait of Alexandra for her 39th birthday — a visual translation of the integration she lives every day as a heart surgeon: standing in loss and restoration simultaneously.
"Mars Exalted, Venus Rising is a portrait of me. But it is not decorative. It is structural."
"I spoke to Stefanie about the integration I live every day — as a heart surgeon fighting heart disease in its most unforgiving forms, and witnessing the beauty of recovery and the miracles that follow."
"In this work, the highs are high. The lows are low. You stand in loss. You stand in restoration. It is the integration of both that allows you to do this work."
"She took every word and translated it into form."
What She Looks For
"It must carry weight. It must represent a chapter. I'm not interested in filler. I collect pieces that mark transformation. Art that feels earned."
"The emotion. The light."
"It reinforced something I've always known but rarely articulate: Surgery is art under pressure. Both require vision before visibility."
"It hangs prominently in my bedroom. It anchors the space. It's a reminder that integration is not accidental — it's built."
The Unveiling
Mars Exalted, Venus Rising
The Commission
Original Painting
The Studio
Dr. Alexandra Kharazi
Explore more of Stefanie's work — where light, nature, and emotion converge
"And that is why her work resonates with mine."Shop the Collection →
