Discovery in lockdown – an interview with Alison Bradley

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We interviewed artist Alison Bradley in February 2019 and the resulting article was the first we published on Life: Full Colour. This was before we even opened the gallery in Caernarfon! 

Now, more than two years later, we’re delighted to catch-up with Alison about her new work, the discoveries she made during lockdown, and what she’s bringing to our yellow gallery.

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Alison, much has changed in the world since we spoke to you last. How has the pandemic impacted your practice?

I’m still painting beautiful North Wales but I was restricted to painting in my garden during lockdown.  It was quite frustrating at first, but I live in a beautiful spot with a nice garden that has plenty of light and shade, so I enjoyed painting there.

I also started to experiment in pastels, as I thought I’d try a different medium and pastels are sort of between charcoal and oil painting. I’ve enjoyed working with them. Pastels are portable, and I’ve developed some new pieces which people can see in Life: Full Colour as well as my own gallery.

Since lockdown ended, I’ve had time to explore the area I live in such as the Clwydian Range, plus I’ve been going further afield to the Lake District in Cumbria, and the Yorkshire Dales.   

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Can you tell us more about your work with pastels? Is this a new direction for you? 

Yes, I’m doing more work in pastels and I’m adding to my pastels collection! I started with a few brands, and you get to know the colours you like as you start to experiment. It’s different to oil painting, where you mix your own colours.

There are three pastels in the Life: Full Colour gallery that people can see now, which all feature Caernarfon locations. I went to Caernarfon after lockdown had ended and there was so much to paint, I loved the way the light played on the castle, the architecture, and the water.

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Do you predominantly work on location?

I like to paint from life where I can, and I’ll spend a day or two looking for different spots to sketch or paint. I like to get the feel of what I want to do when I get back to the studio, so I might do a pen and ink sketch, or I might take oil paints with me. I’ll also take photographic references as a back-up.

Sometimes I’ll complete it all on location, particularly the smaller pieces, but the larger work is completed in my studio so I don’t have to worry about the elements.

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What makes you choose a location?

It might be the light on the subject or the weather. One day a location could be ordinary but the next day it has a completely different feel with fantastic light. It might be something inside me that makes me want to paint the location.

Sometimes I’ll get to a well-known spot that has been painted by artists of the past and try a new interpretation of it. For example, there are a few places in North Wales painted by Turner, like Caernarfon Castle, that I’ve painted from today’s perspective.

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What do you try to capture in your paintings?

I capture what I feel about a place. If I’m at the coast, I observe what I can see with the waves and the atmosphere and try to infuse it into the painting.

However, the way each person responds to a piece of art is individual to them and their memories.  Because I paint special places in Wales and further afield, often there are places that are quite meaningful to them, so it might evoke a childhood memory or time with a loved one. With the sheepdogs, it might remind them of a sheepdog they knew.

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Speaking of sheepdogs, you’re also known for your paintings of animals. Where does that come from? 

I was inspired to paint animals when I moved to Wales from the Midlands in 2004, which is nearly 18 years ago. I felt the cattle and the sheep had such personalities! They were also interesting to study – their anatomy and the way light fell on them, as well as the way they interacted with each other and me.

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Did you always want to pursue a career in art?

I did an Art Foundation Course when I left school, so I thought I was going to have a career in art in some form but then I ended up doing a degree in Textile Design at the University of Manchester.

I went down a different path and worked in all sorts of jobs, but I was never content. I’d draw for myself but it was hard to fit it in because I was working full-time.

However, when I moved to Wales, I felt really inspired to paint and I opened my own gallery within four years of moving. My partner Jon decided to leave his job and look after the picture framing and the business side of the gallery. We’re a great team. I’ll start work on a painting and Jon is already looking at a frame to go with it.

What made you decide to open a gallery?

Before we opened the gallery, we used to have stalls at country fairs as well as show work in other galleries. However, we really liked selling directly to customers and hearing their stories.  They also quite enjoyed hearing about my artwork and the creative process behind it.

We wanted to continue building those connections and relationships, so that’s why we opened the gallery.  You sometimes get quite attached to a piece and it can be like saying goodbye to a child, so it’s good to hear where It’s going on the wall.

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What can people expect from you next? 

I’m having a new studio built, which has fantastic natural light. It’s much larger than my current studio, so I’m looking forward to working on bigger pieces. I’ve already got the canvases ready to go!

I’ll keep exploring new areas in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire and the Lake District, plus I’ll return to Snowdonia and keep on with my coastal work now that we’re allowed to move around more.

In the meantime, you can view some of my latest work at Life:Full Colour gallery in Caernarfon as well as by visiting www.alisonbradley.gallery

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Alison’s latest work is available to view at Life: Full Colour’s yellow gallery. The gallery is open Wednesday to Saturday, 11am to 6pm and is located at 23-25 Hole in the Wall Street, Caernarfon.

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