Alison Dunlop Artist CV
Right now we are waiting for new Alison Dunlop Art to arrive at the gallery. In the meantime, below is a selection of the artist's archived art work which has featured at Red Rag Art Gallery. If you wish to register to receive updates and alerts when new art work from Alison Dunlop arrives let us know in the red box.
Alison Dunlop was born in Canada in 1958. She began her art studies there before continuing in France and later in the UK. In France she had an undergraduate year at L’Ecole des Beaux-Arts and L’Universite Read more
de Franche-Comte, Besancon. Alison moved to Scotland in 1982 to undertake post-graduate studies at Edinburgh College of Art and has been based in Scotland ever since.
Alison Dunlop’s considerable reputation is based around the creation of superb, highly finished still life paintings, each given a slightly surreal edge by a narrative title that belies a dry, incisive wit. Drawing on the rich European tradition of Surrealism and an early influence of Canadian "magic realism", Dunlop’s art is compelling and thought-provoking. Boundaries between the real and the imagined are blurred as Alison creates subjects which, merging desires with reality, appear to be taken straight from dreams. The sense of narrative and dream-like constructions or figures play out, frozen in time, against a backdrop of dramatic tension as she explores the interplay between light and dark, feminine and masculine, veiling and revealing. She seeks to make the ordinary seem extraordinary, in a subtle way
Alison produces paintings of stunning accuracy. Very contemporary in terms of subject matter, she uses dark backgrounds and creative, clever compositions which give her paintings a dramatic feel. The finished art work instantly commands attention, attracting the viewer, and providing enduring appeal. As such Dunlop’s intense and enigmatic images continue to resonate and intrigue long after the viewing.
Talking about her work Alison Dunlop says: “I work at creating simple, yet arresting images, which communicate on several different levels. By manipulating ‘objets trouves’ and placing them together in an unexpected way, they’re granted new meaning. Realism lies at the heart of my painting and makes my images accessible and convincing, but this first impression is swiftly cast aside.”
In 1989 Alison was elected to the RSW and in 1995 became a Professional Member of the Society of Scottish Artists and Artists Craftsmen. From 1997 – 99 Alison was President of SAAC (now Visual Arts Scotland) and she was conferred Honorary Membership, VAS in 2003.
Alison Dunlop’s work is held in a number of prominent corporate collections in the UK and in Canada. Over the years, she has been the recipient of a number of prestigious Scottish art awards and also in Canada. In addition to Red Rag Gallery Alison Dunlop has exhibited widely across the UK both in Group exhibitions and solo shows. She has also had solo exhibitions in Toronto, Canada.
