Alison Dickson was born in 1961, and grew up on a farm near Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. She studied in Belfast and now lives in Edinburgh.

Much of her inspiration stems from a close connection with the Irish countryside. She returns to Ireland as often as she can to sketch, paint and take photographs. Landscapes and seascapes under weather-laden skies are a recurring theme in her work, often giving the feeling that wet and wild conditions are just around the corner. She also paints still-life subjects.

Alison started exhibiting regularly less than 3 years ago, and in that time has been both surprised and thrilled by the response to her work. Encouraged by the Fermanagh Arts Officer, she put on a very  successful solo exhibition – Breathing Space – in December 2007. In 2009, her work was selected for the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA), the Glebe Open Exhibition in Donegal, and the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW).

Strong and vibrant colours predominate in many of Alison’s paintings, while others are more reflective in tone. She approaches her pieces in a structured way but then carries them forward intuitively, not limiting herself to preconceived outcomes. She uses a reduced palette along with simple shapes, colours and patterns to create levels of abstraction. Texture plays an important part in her work, and skewers, knives and sometimes collage are used to produce shifting dynamics within each piece.

Scotland on Sunday, AtHome magazine, 16 March 2008

“Fresh from her debut solo exhibition in December, emerging landscape painter Alison Dickson shows her latest work in the Borders, working in oil, using bands of colour and evocative texturing. She has been exhibiting seriously for just one year, but her approach has rapidly been gaining admirers – her 35-piece solo show was a sellout.”

Past exhibitions
August-Sept 2009	Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour, Open Exhibition
April-August 2009	Jonathan Avery Gallery, Glasgow
May-09	Royal Scottish Academy, Spring Open Exhibition
Apr-09	Glebe Open Exhibition, Co Donegal
Dec-08	Devenish Gallery, Enniskillen
Nov-08	Scottish Contemporary Art Exhibition, Glasgow
March-May 2008	Flat Cat Gallery, Lauder
Dec-07	Higher Bridges Gallery, Enniskillen, solo exhibition Breathing Space
Oct-07	Lucie Fenton Gallery, Edinburgh,
August 2007	Southside Gallery, Edinburgh, Festival exhibition
April 2007	Basement Gallery, Enniskillen
Apr-07	Southside Gallery, Edinburgh