We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alison Woods a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alison, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

One of the biggest risks I have taken as an artist was spending nine months working on a technically challenging 8 x 11 foot painting. It was the first time I had ever worked on anything of this scale. The painting required a steep learning curve in researching and acquiring new technical skills.

First, the process involved cutting precise stencils using Frisket masking film. The difficulty was compounded by the fact that this particular type of film will bond permanently to underlayers of acrylic paint if left in place for more than 24 hours. In addition, under humid conditions, the film would bubble and refuse to stick. Due to the limitations of the material, I could only complete a twelve inch square section each day.

Other sections of the piece required pouring paint in a highly controlled manner to create graduating degrees of opaqueness and transparency. Heat and humidity affected the drying time of the paint, sometimes causing unwanted effects like crazing and cracking if the paint dried too quickly.

Completing the final piece was a very rewarding experience and took my practice to a new level of research, process, completion, and understanding.

The painting entitled, “Matrix” was exhibited at Stanford University and featured in a blog by Charles Desmarais, who was the San Francisco Chronicle art critic and former deputy director of the Brooklyn Art Museum. “Matrix” was also featured at the Los Angeles “Start-Up” Fair, prominently hung in the central lobby with very favorable reviews overall.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am very fortunate to come from three generations of artists. My family encouraged me to pursue a career in the arts and both my mother and grandmother stressed the importance of having the skills to take care of myself in order to face life’s challenges. Heeding their collective advice, I started out as a graphic designer working first in New York and later in San Francisco in the technology sector of the Silicon Valley. One of my earliest jobs was designing video game packaging. Later, I attended graduate school at the San Francisco Art Institute which changed the trajectory of my career. My primary focus was on painting in addition to experimenting with sculpture and art installation.

My current art projects reflect my experiences in the world of computers and technology. The exposure to technology early in my career–and at the very beginning of the technological revolution–has given me a unique advantage as an artist who is able to both interpret technology and translate it into physical art forms.

I consider the advent of the computer and AI to be the most influential and defining factors of our time. In my view it is altogether possible that AI will replace the creative process and remove jobs and livelihoods for many artists and creatives who make our world interesting. My images discuss the relationship between the human mind in all its complexities juxtaposed with computer technology and its persistent ramifications on culture. I create images that allow technology with its digital non-human binary mark to become a co-author alongside organic human mark-making to create cohesive works of art.

More recently I have been expanding my practice to create site specific sculpture and installations. I will be creating an on-site installation “Chrysalis” for “/the butterfly effect,” with curation and concept design by Kostas Prapoglou, at the textile manufacturing facility ‘Butterfly’ in Athens, Greece on the road to Eleusis. Simultaneously, In the Summer of 2023. Eleusis will host world premiere artworks with 137 international partners and more than 300 distinguished artists transforming the city into an international cultural hub.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My adult journey as a graphic designer and later co-founder of a successful design business in the San Francisco Bay Area was focused on the computer technology industry. When the tech sector crashed, our company lost most of its tech clients and consequently we were forced to downsize our office.

This is when I decided to apply to graduate school, where I made the transition from the graphic design industry to fine art. Though it’s true that choosing to be a fine artist is financially risky, by doing a low residency program I was able to earn money for nine months out of the year to support myself. Following graduate school, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue opportunities in fine arts that were not available in San Francisco. This turned out to be a very fortunate move, and where things began coming together for me– until 2020—when everything changed due to the quarantine mandates. In the aftermath of these years of social and societal changes I find myself rebuilding yet again.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I believe we should promote more visual literacy in our schools. The result of dismissing art and design as unimportant can show up everywhere in our lives – from poorly designed and functioning homes, cookie cutter architectural design, ugly and poorly designed neighborhoods for families to live in and work, unpleasant and unproductive work environments, and uninteresting product and packaging design. Excellent art, architecture, and design in all areas of life are the foundations for creating vital thriving cities and a flourishing culture that fosters our collective psychological, emotional, and physical well-being.

Society could invest in education and training for artists and creatives to help them develop and hone their skills. I would suggest community-based workshops, mentorship programs for youth and aspiring creatives, affordable art programs within public schools and colleges, and programs to develop new art collectors to support the arts community and market as a whole. It is a mistake to limit creative education and training to expensive private art institutions which leave students saddled with debt that can take years to pay off.

Governments, private organizations and individuals should invest in providing grants, fellowships, scholarships, workspaces and access to equipment and supplies. I believe it is the responsibility of the collective community to develop and support creatives and creative endeavors. Society should recognize the value of art by helping to shift the perception of art from a luxury item or frivolous activity to a vital and valuable part of our culture.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alisonwoods.com
• Instagram: @alisonwoodz
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/woodsalison/