Artist Profile — Alizon Gray
Gallery Rayé presents original abstract works by Naarm / Melbourne-based painter, Alizon Gray.
“I see my paintings as illusory abstract landscapes where the landscape emerges as an imagined place, or the in-between space that connects memory and place rather than representing somewhere specific. Through layers of various marks and veils of paint, I hope to build an image that cannot be understood in a simple glance.
My process is very intuitive and I never have a particular outcome in mind when I start a painting. Usually I pick a colour (often pink or green) and start to make marks on the canvas. Each mark thereafter is in response to those previously placed; it is a dance between intuition and consideration. The decision to place each mark is part of my pursuit to seek a delicate balance between the forms and space that evolve naturally in each piece as it develops to a point of resolution.
Like many artists, I feel that it is impossible to separate the themes emerging in my paintings from the events of recent years. Living conditions in Melbourne were very confined throughout 2020 due to the pandemic, and whilst I felt challenged by this, I was ever grateful for my creativity and capacity to create new spaces for myself through my painting practice. Creating spatial abstract landscapes as a place for daydream and quiet reflection continues to be the focus of my current work.” - Alizon Gray
Gray has been a finalist in numerous art prizes including the Bayside Acquisitive Art Prize, ANL Mission to Seafarers Prize, Musswellbrook Art Prize, and mCollection Award. Recent exhibitions include 'Heart of Snow' at Michael Reid Gallery, ‘Seeking Silence’ at Boom Gallery, and ‘Slippery Slope’ at Sawtooth. Her work has been included in many group exhibitions — most recently, ‘Balmy’ and ‘pause pause’ at Gallery Rayé, ‘Winter’ at Fenton & Fenton, ‘Goodbye Hello’ at CAVES, and ‘Dusk till Dawn‘ at Saint Cloche. Her work is held in private collections in Australia, New Zealand, England, the USA, Canada, Germany, and Switzerland.
