Hi. My name is Alison Charles and I’m an artist and graphic designer based in central Wisconsin. In another life I was a Broadway dancer, in my best life I’m creating art every day.

Painting with oils and acrylics have been my focus lately but I'm always trying and experimenting with new mediums and techniques. I paint on a variety of surfaces including wood, canvas, interior walls, tile, metal, glass as well as fabric.

I hope you like what you see while you’re visiting. Maybe share something with a friend to help spread my work around. Maybe hang something of mine on your wall. There is honestly nothing more flattering. 

Contact me with any questions, comments or requests. I would love to create artwork for you!

Artist Statement

for my Oil Clay Paintings

In a world where we are surrounded by chaos, we are constantly striving for order. It’s very unusual for someone to seek out disorder. When I paint abstractions, I intentionally create disorder by pushing the boundaries of two dimensions through the application of thick layers of clay. Then using multiple layers of oil washes also contributes to the creation of disarray. While I find peace in my organized process, nature takes control over the direction of oil washes and the drying of the clay. However, I wrestle nature as I manage each aspect of the composition. Each piece is a reflection of the battle to find the balance between chaos and order.

The process begins by looking at geographic imagery where land touches water. Maps, being grounded in reality, act as a comfortable place to jump from for both the viewer and myself. The clay compositions are inspired by these map searches; changes are always made intuitively when applying the clay on the luan plywood, which creates an organizational foundation for the entire piece. Colors that are close in value and intensity are used to mitigate the busyness in my paintings. I conclude my painting process by carefully pouring oil washes onto the piece. I lift each edge of the work as I attempt to influence the direction the oil will flow in order to interact with the textured and smooth surfaces. This action mimics nature in a way that snow melts creating little streams or when rain puddles form as a consequence of the landscape. The work never ends up how I originally envisioned it and this loss of control is exhilarating.

I want my work to reflect the life lesson I have learned: it’s impossible to control everything. Life includes both chaos and order. All we can do is find that balance between the things that happen to us unexpectedly and the choices we make to try to organize our lives. But in the end, we all have little control over our lives and the outcome of it. It’s time to accept this loss of control and embrace the beauty we can find, or more importantly, create.