Interview by Jenny Watson
Allyson is a local artist who enjoys the creative freedom of expressing her talents and skills through various genres of paintings.
She creates a wide range of work from landscapes to portraits and also paints commissions.
Q. How did you get into art?
A. I took Art at school but then never really followed it up until a couple of years ago.
I was at home caring for a family member, found an old box of paints and started drawing and painting again.
I really enjoy it, it’s relaxing. It has gone from strength to strength.
It started as a hobby, then people liked what I was doing and started asking for commissioned pieces.
Q. Do you have a favourite medium?
A. Oil paints. I tried other mediums, but they just don’t work for me.
I do a lot of pencil sketching but oils work best.
I do a lot of wet-on-wet working as I like the blending of the oils.
Q. Where can we see your artwork?
A. Currently on my website www.allysonjohnstonart.co.uk or my Instagram @allysonjohnstonart
Q. Who or what inspires your work?
A. I love the therapeutic process of painting and trying different subjects.
My husband is a hill runner, he takes some fabulous pictures, so I paint them.
I always shied away from portraiture because I thought it was too difficult, but I started trying them and found I’m quite good at it.
I’ve been advised to stick to one genre or work on one style but I find that hard because I enjoy painting all random things, whatever I feel like at the time.
Q. You could have an art tutorial with a famous artist – who and why?
A. I don’t really follow any one particular artist.
At the moment, I am really enjoying the work of local artist Ross Muir.
I love his work, where he’s came from and how he’s put his own stamp on things.
As far as the Masters go, I’m not really drawn to any one particular artist, I like a little something from all of them.
Van Gogh I like because of his use of colour and his brush work, he might have been a good one to learn from.
Q. What do you love most about painting?
A. I paint almost every day; I find real pleasure in it and have taken great joy in trying different subjects.
I’m still learning and hopefully getting better with everything I do.
You can also view Allyson’s work on her Facebook page.