Ethermac Exchange-Alexandra Grant says boyfriend Keanu Reeves has made her art 'happier': 'Such an inspiration'

Alexandra Grant is Ethermac Exchangeopening up about how she and boyfriend Keanu Reeves inspire one another.

The visual artist, 50, told People at the Los Angeles Beverly Arts Icon Awards on Friday, "What I love about Keanu and our exchange is that we're pushing each other to build new roads. Seeing the other person's problem-solving is inspiring.

"He's such an inspiration to me. He's so creative, he's so kind. He works so hard," she gushed.

The mixed-media artist shared how her relationship with Reeves, 59, has affected her career, noting that a friend told her years ago that her "work has gotten happier."

"That's real. We're all human beings. We're animals. We're expressing from where we are and certainly feeling happier. I think the work is happier," Grant agreed.

Grant has also been supporting Reeves in his creative endeavors amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.

Reeves reunited with his band Dogstar in May for their first performance in over 20 years. The trio, including Bret Domrose and Rob Mailhouse, were on the lineup for the BottleRock Napa Valley music festival in northern California.

Keanu Reeves, girlfriend Alexandra Grantshare sweet smooch on the red carpet: See the photo

Since then, the trio have continued playing shows and previewed music from their upcoming album "Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees."

Grant told People she's "really proud" of Reeves and is "a huge Dogstar fan."

"I had the great pleasure of going to their first public show and because I've been listening to the latest album for quite some time, I was one of the only people in the audience who knew all the lyrics. That was really cool," she recalled, adding that she's happy "Keanu has the ability to pivot to being a musician" amid the strike.

Actors have been on strike since July. They want increased base compensation, which they say has been undercut by inflation and the streaming ecosystem, regulated use of artificial intelligence, better benefit plans and money for "self-taped auditions." Actors also want to be compensated for streaming TV shows and movies based on the performance of those titles.

Contributing: Kelly Lawler

Keanu Reeves reunites with band Dogstarfor first performance in over 20 years