Allison Belolan
Collage Artist based in Mamaroneck, New York
ABOUT
After studying Printmaking at the Rhode Island School of Design and graduating in 2001, Allison worked as a jewelry and accessories designer in New York’s Fashion District, creating jewelry for brands like Betsy Johnson, Kenneth Cole Alfani. While the jewelry design work was exciting and challenging, Allison ultimately decided that the fashion world was not for her, and in 2009 returned to school and received her Masters of Arts in Teaching Art Education at the School of Visual Arts. Since then, she has worked as an Art Educator in New York, teaching students grades K-5. In her teaching practice, Allison embraces the Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) philosophy, which has led to a rediscovery and new devotion to her artistic interests and processes. Her work has been shown in galleries across the United States, in online galleries and shops, including Minted.com, in local New York markets, and social media and print publications. Special recognition for her work includes Minted.com’s 2020 award for Portraits and Figures and nomination as Emerging Artist of the Year. Allison lives and works in Mamaroneck, NY, with her husband and two young children, where she can be found stealing away moments to create at the kitchen table or in her basement studio. When she isn’t creating art or caring for her family, Allison can be found walking in the woods or reading books in a cozy spot on the couch.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work’s current focus is to explore relationships between the body, emotions, and the environment. Recent work explores some of these ideas through abstract landscape collages. Creating each landscape is a meditative reflection and release of emotion, resulting in what I like to think of as Emotional Landscapes. Often these landscapes incorporate natural elements or features of which I have strong connections, like horizons, mountains, and the rays of a rising or setting sun. Each collage begins by collecting and sorting papers from my magazines, old work, and tissue papers. I’m drawn to tissue paper for how its translucency and delicacy speak to the makeup of emotions themselves, how quickly or slowly one emotional state can change into another, and the depth and range of emotions. Working within a limited color palette and using repetitive shapes encourages thoughtful observation of details like subtly varying textures, edges, and colors. These landscapes were created primarily in collage because of the immediacy and physicality of the process. I enjoy the sensory experience of collage materials, the feel of different papers and textures, the sound and feel of materials being cut or torn, even the smell of the glue are all satisfying and therapeutic. Creating many different arrangements quickly, playing with the visual of an idea without pinning it down, is freeing and keeps me feeling productive. As the primary caregiver in a home with two young children during a pandemic, protected creative time is rare. Creating collages in shorter bursts has been my way of tending to my artistic process and emotional well-being.
Website:allisonbelolanart.com / Instagram: @allisonbelolanart
