Unison Colour Associate Artist
Alison Berrett went to Exeter College of Art and Design and studied Fine Art to degree level and then qualified as an Art Teacher at Exeter University. Thirty years on and she is an experienced Teacher, Mother to two sons, Freelance Artist, Artist-in-Residence, Workshop Leader and for the last 5 years a Manager of The Art Room using art in a therapeutic setting with children and young people. She is now able to commit herself fully to her Art Practice and she continues to work freelance using art as therapy to facilitate joy and confidence.
“My work is inspired by elements of landscape, seascape, colour and mark making. I am fascinated by our relationship with the natural world and its effects on our mental, physical and spiritual selves.
I get excited by dramatic landscapes and the power of natural elements like weather and light.
Living in Oxfordshire I am surrounded by expansive skies and space with the beautiful Cotswold landscape nearby and I love it. However, I grew up by the coast and I regularly need to be near the sea so I also go to favourite destinations, usually Devon and Cornwall, to draw and paint.
My favourite materials and equipment for this are a set of Unison Pastels, a couple of sketchbooks and a few sticks of graphite or charcoal. Using gestural marks I work intuitively, capturing the colour, movement and mood of what I am seeing, hearing and feeling.
When I come back to my studio I gather this collection of drawings and upon opening my sketchbooks always feel a thrill of excitement as the memories flood back.
The process of drawing on site fixes the experience in my body and memory and having them to work from feels powerful and honest. The new drawings in pastel, or paintings and collages I then create, take on abstract elements as I play with the composition, colours and marks. They retain their connection to the original drawings but sometimes take on new metaphorical meanings as I have time to reflect throughout the process, upon my relationship with the place they were created and the effect it has had on me.
I work small and large and I like to have several pieces on the go simultaneously.
When I am making art in this way, I believe that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE and this is communicated through my work. As well as a celebratory act of mark making and passion for colour my artwork is an expression of my awe and joy about the natural world and the wonder of living as part of it.”
Alison has won a number of prizes including:
The Oxford Castle Heritage Project Prize 2006–Solo Exhibition at the O3 gallery.
The Alexandra Reinhardt Memorial Prize 2011–Artist in Residence, The Art Room
The Unison non-members prize in Feb 2020 in the annual Pastel Society exhibition at The Mall Galleries with her work titled ‘Seascapes of the Soul – Unleashed’.
1991:
2003:
Feb – Mar 2004:
May 2004:
June –July 2004 Sept 2004:
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Oct – Dec 2005:
Apr 2006-19:
Oct 2006:
July 2007:
March 2009 & 2010:
2011:
April – May 2012:
Nov 2017 – Present:
February 2020:
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June – Dec 2020:
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Jan 2013:
2007:
2012:
2020:
In May we held a recruitment exercise for new Associate Artists and we were overwhelmed with the number of applications. So much so we will have 2 groups of new artists. Our 2nd group will be announced in August 2020.
The second of three interviews with Pastel Society Winners. This time it’s Alison Berrett, winner of the Non-Member Award category.
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liz@unisoncolour.com or call Liz on +44 (0)1434 240203 Option 1
