TNBT - Finalist - Alison Aplin - 2 Trees and Rocks

Mixed Media

Once hampered by the ‘oldie’ title, I now eagerly embrace this title, as age depicts a life lived and experiences learned.

I am a retired award winning sustainable landscape designer with a passion for trees. As a self-taught artist of 13 years, I have used these design skills to create true abstract artworks, sometimes figurative and sometimes expressionism. Colour, I believe, is a strong point, while the juxtaposition of shapes and lines, often geometric, enhance the movement within every work. Tonal effects are considered throughout each work; depth is essential in my art, and my mediums are most often mixed, some finishing with numerous layers of oil to produce a tapestry-like effect.

I don’t obsess about negative space. To me, the balance of a finished work with or without negative space is important. But I’m very conscious of how the eye moves around the painting – this is a critical point for me to consider with my work. I do not work to a set theme as I have a mind that is constantly on the move. I enjoy trying different techniques and products, and these often lead to other ways of producing art. My solo exhibitions have had to accommodate these variations, which I
regard as diversity, in style. The tell-tale with my work is usually bold colour.

I am aware in both my landscape design business and my art, that in nature, nothing is perfect, so I follow the tradition at all times of the wabi-sabi way of viewing and creating works of art. With this knowledge comes an enormous appreciation for things that look different; that can be regarded as crude in appearance. As my practice grows, my work becomes less refined which many find enormously satisfying to view. I continue to learn my craft through constant practice; creating art that is immensely satisfying to the soul.