Alison Philpott

Biography

I was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and enjoyed art from a young age. After immigrating to Canada as a teenager, I studied Commercial and Fine Art at Algonquin College. I found my interest lay in realism with architecture being particularly interesting.

I put my fine art work aside while the kids were really small, preferring to work on other creative projects which I could put down and pick up at a moments notice more easily.

After moving to BC in 1997 I was encouraged by my husband to take a sketchbook whenever we went exploring the many beautiful beaches and forests of the lower mainland. I was pleasantly surprised at how easily my drawing came back to me. So I began in earnest to bring my skills up to a level I was happy with. I dabbled in watercolour, marker, acrylic and charcoal, but always returned to pencil.

I gave a drawing to a friend of mine in 1999 and shortly after, sold my first piece. A portrait of a heritage home in Port Moody. That was the start of my commission experience. Since then I have done over 50 commissions and have many other pieces in private collections in Europe, Australia, the U.S. and Canada.

Some subjects are interesting just in the monochromatic shades of graphite, others lend themselves to watercolour, Pantone marker, coloured pencil or, more often, a mixture.
I have become more interested in coloured pencil of late and find it more complex than the graphites I have done in the past. Not only is it light and dark, but light and dark with complex colour combinations as well.

My various commissions have beenprimarily of houses, from single homes to collages of every home the client has ever lived in! However sometimes I am asked to draw or paint other things, such as antique cars, still life, and pets. Some of these images can be seen on my personal website.

Alison joined FLAG Spring 2012.

JULY 2012: Local artists take top spots in national competition

Alison won 2nd place in the Coloured Pencil Society of Canada’s first national exhibition for Pebbles 1 shown below.

Matsqui Pebbles,
coloured pencil on paper

Nandina, coloured pencil on paper; Nandina-work in progressclick to enlarge images

North Shore Gem,
mixed media on paper

FLAGstop Gallery in the historic CN Station,
at the corner of Mavis and Glover Road
Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Open weekends May to September noon to 4:00 pm or by appointment

Contact Alison