ARTIST STATEMENT

My encaustic and mixed media paintings are nature-based abstractions exploring the elegant interconnectivity of all living things. Plants, trees, botanicals, birds, have long served as symbols and archetypes in the human imagination. My creative work strives to share the concept of Biophilia, the innate human love of nature, as described by biologist E.O. Wilson. Connecting to the natural world can lead to greater concern for conservation and biodiversity. More than ever, artists and creatives are called upon to touch people’s hearts to counteract complacency about climate change and threats to our world. Using encaustic, oils, collage, and drawing, I merge representational forms with evocative abstract elements. This confluence where media, technique, and subject matter come together is an organic process, resulting in a fluid evolution of themes and iconography. My work seeks a poetic middle ground, where elements and references become abstract, whisper suggestions, and transition into a mysterious realm: nuanced, intriguing, unknown.

ARTIST BIO

Alison grew up in the Rocky Mountains in Canada. Her father taught her about geology and evolution, and her mother, an avid gardener, taught her about plants and how to pay attention to the natural world. At seventeen, Alison began traveling around the world, experiencing vastly different geographies and cultures.
For almost twenty years Alison taught art to high school students at a leading college preparatory school in New Mexico. She currently lives in Springdale, Utah, where she makes art, works, and explores the desert Southwest. Alison has a BFA in painting and drawing from the University of Calgary, in Alberta, and an MA in Art Therapy from the University of New Mexico. She has a deep appreciation for the transformative and healing power of both nature and art. Her work is shown at Juniper Sky Gallery in St George, UT and Exhibit 208 in Albuquerque, NM. Her work has appeared in juried shows at the Albuquerque Museum, 516 Arts Downtown, The Encaustic Museum in Santa Fe, The Farmington Museum, and various galleries. Her solo exhibitions: Confluence: PLANT/LIFE at Exhibit 208 in Albuquerque (2020), and; Biophilia: Our True Nature at Harwood Art Center (2019) featured encaustic paintings and installations. 

Alison will be the Artist in Residence at Zion National Park in Oct-Nov, 2023

EXHIBITIONS

2023  Gallery Artists Show, Juniper Sky Gallery, Kayenta Art Village, St George, UT 
          Arts Thrive Art Exhibition and Benefit, Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, NM
          Pop Up Art Show, JoyCraftDesign, Springdale, UT 
2022  Botanical Abstractions, Springdale Library, Springdale, UT
          Select Encaustic Paintings, Cafe Soleil Zion, Springdale, UT
          Love & Biophilia in the Desert (solo show), Zion Community Center, Springdale, UT
          The Crow Show, The Studio Door, San Diego, CA
2021  Anonymous Art Show, North Van Arts, North Vancouver, BC, Canada
          A Calling of Birds, Elisabeth Jones Art Space, Portland, OR
          Out of Hibernation, Gallery Artists Group Show, Exhibit 208, Albuquerque, NM
2020  Arts Thrive Art Exhibition and Benefit, Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque NM
          15th Annual 12x12 Exhibition and Fundraiser, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque NM
          Confluence: PLANT/LIFE (solo exhibition), Exhibit 208, Albuquerque, NM
          Encompass Group Show, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
2019  Biophilia: Our True Nature (solo exhibition), Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
          14th Annual 12x12 Exhibition and Fundraiser, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
          20 Year Anniversary Group Show, Exhibit 208, Albuquerque, NM
          Arts Thrive Art Exhibition and Benefit, Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, NM
          Luanem Gallery Group Show, Menaul School, Albuquerque, NM
          April Price Projects Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
          Group Show, Exhibit 208, Albuquerque, NM          
          Summer Group Show, Exhibit 208, Albuquerque, NM
          Spring Group Show, Exhibit 208, Albuquerque, NM
          Corrales Bosque Gallery, Guest Artist, Corrales, NM
2018  December Group Show, Exhibit 208, Albuquerque, NM
          ArtsThrive Art Exhibition and Benefit, Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, NM
          13th Annual 12x12 Exhibition and Fundraiser, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
          Gateway to Imagination, Farmington Museum, Farmington, NM
          Solo Exhibition, Heritage Gallery, Albuquerque Academy, NM 
          Abstract Catalyst 5, Verum Ultimum Art Gallery, Portland, OR
          Global Warming is Real, Museum of Encaustic Art, Santa Fe, NM
          Surface: Emerging Artists of New Mexico, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
          Visual Arts Faculty Show, Albuquerque Academy, NM
          Collected, Encompass Gallery Exhibition, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
2017  11th Annual 12x12 Exhibition and Fundraiser, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
          Small Works Exhibition, New Mexico Art League, Albuquerque, NM
2016  Visual Arts Faculty Show, Albuquerque Academy, NM
          Sole/Soul: Mixed Media Work, Dr. Haas Podiatry Office, Albuquerque, NM
2015  Visual Arts Faculty Show, Albuquerque Academy, NM
2013  Collect 10, Center For Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe, NM
          Visual Arts Faculty Show, Albuquerque Academy, NM
2012  New Mexico Showcase, 516 ARTS Downtown, Albuquerque, NM
2011  Visual Arts Faculty Show, Albuquerque Academy, NM
2010  Albuquerque NOW - Fall, Albuquerque Museum, NM
2009  Visual Arts Faculty Show, Albuquerque Academy, NM
2007  Visual Arts Faculty Show, Albuquerque Academy, NM
2006  Visual Arts Faculty Show, Albuquerque Academy, NM
2005  12X12 Exhibition and Fundraiser, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
          Visual Arts Faculty Show, Albuquerque Academy, NM
2003  Visual Arts Faculty Show, Albuquerque Academy, NM
2000  NM Art Therapy Association Show, UNM Art Education Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
1999  NM Art Therapy Association Show, Fisher Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
1997  Openings to the Underworld, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
1996  Art Therapy Graduating Show, UNM Art Education Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
1995  Anatomy of Solitude, China Phoenix Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
1988  Women’s Shelter, Environmental Design Gallery, University of Calgary, AB, Canada
          Recent Art Graduates, Virginia Christopher Gallery, Calgary, AB, Canada
          BFA Art Graduates, Gulf Canada Gallery, Calgary, AB, Canada
          BFA Graduating Exhibition, Nickle Arts Museum, Calgary, AB, Canada
          Women’s Show, Little Gallery, University of Calgary, AB, Canada
          Survey Alberta ’88, Alberta College of Art, Calgary, AB, Canada