Artist Statement

 

My name is Allison Spreadborough. I’m a watercolor artist and Sacramento native. Plein air painting is my passion as is painting intuitively from a nature-inspired prompt. I mainly create landscapes to express my fascination with the ability of nature to quiet the mind and invoke a sense of wonder. I paint scenes depicting deep space and I appreciate places unspoiled by modern influences.

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I consider my style to be contemporary California Regionalism which celebrates a loose and abstracted blend of East and West influences such as brush calligraphy, simplicity, bold color and symbolism. My  painting style could also be considered to be "Realism and Beyond" as described in the 2019 art history book Landscape Painting Now by Barry Schwabsky. I'm a Signature Member of the California Watercolor Association.

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Whether in the studio or outdoors, I use a reference photo to transfer a drawing to archival cotton paper. I paint using a wet-into-wet technique which entails painting with moist paint on wet paper to create an atmospheric perspective and expression. I mostly use granulating pigment and pigment with body to it. It’s exciting to see what happens as mineral and carbon based pigments mingle and to see how evaporation impacts each section of the painting. I also enjoy discovering new color combinations when glazing one color over another dry wash. Later, in the studio, I problem-solve the painting in an overhead mirror to critique any issues. Although this watercolor technique is unpredictable, the creative process feels freeing and enjoyable.