ABOUT THE WORK
Drawing on an early influence of Canadian “magic realism”, and to a lesser extent, the rich and complex European surrealist movement, Alison’s work has developed in compelling and thought-provoking ways since she began painting in the 1980’s.
A meticulous technique and careful composition give Alison’s work a timeless, meditative quality. Each piece is touched with a slightly surreal wit which continues to intrigue long after the viewing.
Boundaries between the real and the imagined are blurred as she creates subjects which, at times, seem to be taken straight from dreams. Often imbued with a suggestion of narrative, these dream-like constructions inspire a sense of unease and make the viewer question the nature of how we perceive the “appearance” of reality.
“I don’t have a name for this series of paintings, but the inspiration for them came to me one day in my studio...... I had just been to the beach and, being an inveterate beachcomber, had brought back some new pieces of driftwood to add to my collection of studio props.
I was looking at one fragment so weathered and ancient that it seemed to have been carved by the sea. Letting my mind wander, I recalled how, for Native Canadians, there is no distinction between the natural world and that of the spirit - every living thing having an unseen energy or “spirit”.
And I thought I might find a way of combining the natural forms and props I had in my studio - driftwood, stones, feathers, shells, bits of linen - of placing them in relation to each other in unusual and unexpected ways so that they might take on a new meaning and come to life....[there’s the surrealist influence!]... become animated, spirited, if you like... become symbols of something far greater than their surface appearances might suggest!”
By creating scenarios involving slight shifts in conventional logic, by painting her subjects in this way, they metamorphose into something else entirely.
A fascination with working with natural forms began with her earliest, finely detailed drawings and watercolours of complex beach arrangements, often alluding to the female form. In these she consolidated a belief that the more convincingly “real” the image, the more powerful the associations.
This recurring theme will no doubt take on renewed vigour and her work move in new directions as she explores the possibilities of her new studio in a restored barn by the sea in Wester Ross on the far north-west coast of Scotland.
She can be contacted through:
info@alisondunlop.com
Copyright © by Alison Dunlop All Right Reserved.
