artist statement
My practice grows from time spent immersed in nature, where colour, form, and texture intertwine to capture the memory of a place. The fluidity and malleable nature of the acrylic paints and mediums I use encourage me to play, welcoming chance and the unexpected. This freedom offers a release from the structure of daily life, creating space for intuition and discovery.
My current body of work has emerged from my ongoing exploration of the natural world. I draw inspiration from the wooded landscapes that surround my home. Living among trees, I find endless fascination in their changing forms, the spaces between them, and the quiet sense of presence they create.Being amongst the trees every day, walking beneath their branches, noticing the shifting light and watching the seasons turn continually feed into my work.
Rooted in memory and observation, the paintings are not direct representations of a landscape but rather suggestions of how it feels to stand within one: surrounded by shapes of light, tangled branches, and rich textures. They are impressions, attempts to capture the energy, movement, and sensation of being immersed in nature.
My process begins with walking, noticing, and absorbing the atmosphere of the landscape. I often record this in photographs, cropping the images to find shapes and patterns to work with. In the studio, I build the paintings in layers – adding and scraping back paint, allowing textures and rhythms to emerge and evolve. The process mirrors the cycles of nature itself: growth, decay, and renewal. Strong gestural lines suggest forms, while open spaces allow light to break through. Marks and surfaces carry a sense of time passing. The paintings instinctively develop as I build the layers, often letting the paint and colour guide the outcome.
For me, painting is a way of holding onto the experience of being present in nature. It translates sensations into something tangible, something that can be lived with – a way of bringing the outside in. I am drawn to the vibrancy of colour, the stark contrasts of light and dark, and the quiet spaces that feel like pauses within the landscape. Painting is how I connect more deeply with the natural world — not only in how it looks, but in how it feels: raw, alive, and always in motion.
artist bio
Alison Hunt (b.1970) lives and works from her studio on the Hampshire/ Surrey border. She is a self-taught landscape artist who draws her ideas from the chaos and beauty of her surroundings. With a background in fashion, Alison has developed an eye for texture, colour, and form – elements that she embraces in her fine art practice.
She has recently completed the year-long Professional Landscape Programme at Newlyn School of Art.
She exhibits regularly in galleries and group exhibitions, and she participates annually in Surrey Artists Open Studios, being nominated for Surrey Artist of the Year in 2024.
artist gallery
