Catching Fishes (Large)

Alison Johnson

Alison is originally from Sheffield, where she gained a BA Hons degree at Sheffield University and is also a qualified nurse. She moved down to the Midlands 8 years ago and now lives in Kenilworth. Her work reflects experiences, which explore the power of nature and layers of inter-connectivity, anatomy, mortality and the fragility of life. She loves to create work that is decorative and surreal, feminine and sometimes sculptural. Alison layers her paint, building gestural marks. The Impressionists used this technique to create optical colour mixes. Turner is a great influence upon her work and it has been said many times Alison is the modern day Turner. Her work is not limited to one particular subject although landscapes do dominate her work. Her favourite tools are palette knives, trowels and scrapers and large brushes. She prefers working in acrylic and/or oil paints, but works in ink and watercolours are not uncommon. She loves experimenting with colour transparencies and textures and applies media mostly on canvas or board. Balance in paintings attracts her, as long as the work does not become static. Light or the lack of it, is important too. Colour preferences change as colours affects her mood and her mood influences her choice of colours. Increasingly, her work is moving in the direction of creating atmosphere and mood of a place and less interest upon technicalities. She usually begins a piece by studying parts of the subject matter and then moves on to study the whole. When she knows the subject she lets her imagination loose and lets the painting guide her; slowly the painting takes a life of its own. Sometimes she finishes a painting in a few days, others it takes months and sometimes she leaves it half finished and continues only when she knows what to do next. She considers a painting ready when there is nothing more she can add and nothing more she can take away; when there is nothing left to interact with. When people look at her work, she likes to give them the possibility of seeing everyday things through a new perspective.

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