Breath of Fresh Air 18th - 25th May 2025

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Alison was born on the Wirral and moved to Manchester to train, qualify and work as an architect . She was in private practice for many years working in the Manchester area in both commercial and residential sectors, before moving back to the Wirral in 2016. This return to her childhood haunts was the catalyst to develop her artistic skills, finding inspiration in familiar locations, and now seeing the landscape through the eyes of an architect. As Alison explains;

 "I had little spare time in my architectural career for painting but I continued to draw and use watercolour to render architectural projects. In the past few years I have become aware of the strong artistic community in the Wirral and I have been encouraged to experiment more with acrylics and oils. The intensity of colour available in oils, and the potential to play with transparency and textures with acrylic paints has allowed me to explore different techniques and styles in order to capture the inspiring costal scenery of the Wirral peninsular. The resulting work reflects my fascination with the impact of tides, weather patterns, cloud formations, reflections and colours which can be found along the Wirral coastline.”

Coupling her new found expression with the disciplines embedded as an architect brings a refreshing new perspective to the often painted Dee Estuary. 

“Returning to the Wirral from inland Cheshire is like a breath of fresh air! I appreciate the coastal environment with a heightened awareness of light, colour and texture. It is a privilege to live here and to see how many people stop and stare at the ever changing seascape that is the Dee Estuary.”

The coastal environment of the Wirral - every changing weather, tides, seasons - reflections on calm seas, wet sand - layering of distant hills - perspective and structure in the landscape - there is plenty to inspire an enthusiastic artistic community in the Wirral.