Biophilia: Our True Nature by Alison Green

Opening Reception: Friday, October 4, 6 – 8pm

Exhibition Runs: October 4 – 24, 2019

Alison’s paintings are inspired by her love of nature, her interests in myths and stories, and her concern for the health of our planet and humankind. Her strongest childhood memories are of forests and mountains filled with trees and plants, where her imagination and body were sparked alive with feeling. Science now recognizes “forest bathing” – spending time in nature – as important to health and wellness.

She is fascinated with the widespread human tendency to imbue particular plants with symbolic significance. Throughout history and across cultures, plants have conveyed special meaning. Pomegranates hint at the cycles of nature and the Feminine, and the Lotus hints at Buddhist enlightenment.

She believes that the contemporary disconnect of humans from the natural world is harming the human psyche as much as it is harming the planet. The alarming number of human-caused threats to plants and the environment requires a massive awakening to the importance of biodiversity and conservation. By using botanical imagery in her paintings, she endeavors to awaken the viewer’s inner response to archetypal images of the natural world and, at the same time, encourage attention to outer circumstances that affect us all.

About Alison Green

“Botanicals have long been essential symbols and archetypes in the human imagination. The concept of Biophilia – the innate human love of nature – and the symbiotic and interdependent relationship between plants and humans is a significant motivator for my work. I hope to inspire viewers to consider these ideas as they engage with these images.  In Edward Wilson’s book “Biophilia”, he says the conservation ethic increases when people feel more connected to the natural world.

Using encaustic, oil paint, collage, and drawing, I merge representational plant forms with suggestive abstract elements. In my compositions, I use color interpretively and include a variety of mixed media under and over the encaustic wax layers to create visual depth. I’m interested in an intriguing middle ground, where elements and references become abstract, whisper suggestions, and transition into a mysterious realm: nuanced, poetic, and unknown.” – Alison Green

Alison grew up exploring the Rocky Mountains in Canada. Her father taught her about geology and evolution, and her mother taught her about the beauty of the natural world. At seventeen, Alison began traveling around the world, experiencing vastly different geographies and cultures. For the past seventeen years Alison has taught drawing and painting to high school students at Albuquerque Academy. Alison has a BFA in painting from the University of Calgary, in Alberta, and an MA in Art Therapy from UNM. Her background in outdoor education and art therapy have given her a deep appreciation for the transformative and healing power of both nature and art. Her work is shown at Exhibit 208 in Albuquerque, and has appeared in juried shows at the Albuquerque Museum, 516 Arts, The Encaustic Museum, and The Farmington Museum.

AlisonGreenArtist.com