ALISON GRAPES
artists statement
My paintings present a flattened landscape fragmented into individual shapes. By painting each connected shape in a different colour, I invite the landscape to reassemble itself in the viewer's eye. Although the colours are often imaginative and fantastical rather than literal, they remain rooted in the rhythms and forms of the natural world. Through this balance of observation, intuition, and colour, I seek to create landscapes that feel both familiar and transformed, encouraging viewers to look more closely and experience nature in a new way.
My love of nature has been a constant presence in my work for many years. While my practice has always been rooted in careful observation, I have gradually moved away from a devotion to detail, choosing instead to embrace the beauty of imperfection and unexpected "mistakes."
For several years, I have begun each drawing with pen and ink rather than pencil. Using a combination of observational drawing and blind contour, I create energetic, expressive lines that give my trees a sense of movement and vitality. I am fascinated by the idea of seeing through objects to what lies beyond them, so I continue lines as though the forms were transparent. These overlapping marks divide the foreground into a complex network of shapes, creating a visual puzzle that is ultimately resolved through colour.
available works
