Alison Dickson

Methodology

My paintings reflect my principal sources of inspiration, stemming from an interest in wide-open landscapes and seascapes under weather-laden skies.
I love that combination of dark sky with bright sunshine just before a downpour, or the feeling that bad weather might be just around the corner.

Strong and vibrant colours predominate in some of my paintings, while others are more reflective in tone. I approach them in a structured way, but then carry them forward intuitively, not limiting myself to preconceived outcomes. That way, every painting feels like an adventure - you never know where you're going to end up.

Using a reduced palette, I simplify the scenes to create a level of abstraction with interlocking shapes, colours, textures and patterns. I employ a variety of tools, including skewers and knives, to make marks in the paint, revealing the colours in the layers below and creating shifting dynamics within each piece.

This is my new studio, which will be a fantastic space to work in. It
was designed and hand-built for me by my good friends David and
Struan of David Walker Design - it's a work of art in itself!

Click to contact: ali@alisondickson.com

Biographical information
I grew up in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, a rural county in the west of Ireland and have lived in Edinburgh for 14 years. I feel very lucky to have been surrounded by wonderful scenery all my life. Who could resist being inspired in either country?

I visit Fermanagh as often as I can, where you are never far from Lough Erne, which has an island for every day of the year. And the amazingly green landscape is testament to the old saying that Lough Erne spends six months of the year in Fermanagh, and Fermanagh spends six months of the year in Lough Erne! I also love the ruggedness and the wildness of the landscape of neighbouring Donegal, Mayo and Clare.

In Scotland, I enjoy heading for the beach, the nearby hills or going further afield for countryside on a grand scale. A recent trip to Oban and Mull had me stopping around every corner to sketch or take a picture.