A Little Bit About Me

With  limited artistic experience in high school and almost zero drawing skills, Alison persevered with her creative ambitions earning a Fine Arts Degree at Parsons School of Design in New York and Paris, graduating in 1993 with a major in Fashion Design.   On returning home to British Columbia, Canada Alison began her own business designing and manufacturing children’s clothes, selling to stores in Western Canada and Toronto. Marrying in 1996, she switched gears, devoting all her time and energies to raising and homeschooling her two children. While a busy mother, Alison contributed to the family finances creating two online shops selling plus size lingerie, and Asian statues. Now, with children grown to independence, she has decided to once again explore her artistic passion, taking on the challenges of working 3 dimensionally, an interest sparked in university.   Alison’s Sculptures and 3D Relief Paintings are all about capturing the prosaic yet entertaining moments and fascinating characters that fill up our daily experience. Passionate and joyful, the subjects and colors are a reflection of her desire to create artwork that brings warmth and intensity into any space in which it is displayed.

Artist Statement

People think of our daily comings and goings as simply boring routine, but for me, I call it fabulous inspiration. Observing the world around me, I see life as one would imagine it on an old fashioned movie reel. The lights turned out, a box of popcorn on my lap and as the projector whirs and clicks frame after frame lights up the screen with fascinating characters acting out wonderfully prosaic situations. And while mundane, if we stop and really observe the everyday we find ourselves relating to the humour of the event, or the beauty, fear, or joy. It is from these moments, like stilled scenes captured from the movie reel, that my artwork is born.

Working 3 dimensionally with my hands molding the paper and gypsum sculpting compound connects me both intellectually and tangibly to the richness of each character. As I sculpt, building up and cutting away, exaggerating proportions, expressions and fashions, my goal is to capture the power in the personality of the people and things the sculpture portrays. Bold colors complete the work adding a sense of strength and vibrant energy that animates the scene bringing it to life.

As a wife, homeschooling mom, and Parsons School of Design Fine Arts graduate my artwork is a reflection of my desire to see the humour and beauty in the everyday experience, finding joy in the small things.  Through my artistic vignettes I want to uplift, transform and bring a little laughter into the world.  There are stories to be told and I have a passion to tell them!