Alison Cowan

Born in 1955, Alison studied at the Glasgow School of Art in the mid 70's and taught for many years in Ayrshire, Glasgow and North Lanarkshire before becoming a full time artist. She was based for a number of years in a studio in Glasgow's west end, before moving out to Bothwell to give her more space, as demand for her work increased.

Alison paints of range of subjects in her iconic semi-abstract impasto style. She says that her paintings, are generally not representative of specific locations and tend to be a mixture of elements that she feels work well together.

"I am more interested in how to use bold colour, composition and heavy texture to create dramatic images.  I try to capture a sense of depth and atmosphere through the use very thick paint, vibrant, contrasting colours, light and shade. I rarely use brushes, preferring the use of palette knives to apply thickened paint in stages, building up the structure and texture over a period of time.

My passion for painting trees continues, they hold such a fascination for me, there's just something about them that draws me to paint them. Their shapes, textures and colours can be magnificent, magical and spiritual. I love the way their branches weave and intertwine and how their colours and shapes can change throughout the year. I continue to be captivated by the gorgeous, rich, jewel like, spectrum of colours that signify autumn as I endeavour to capture the mystery and magic of woodland places."