Alison Keenan

Alison Keenan lived in Burma before returning home to England to complete her art education and later lived in Italy and Egypt where she studied Aubusson and Gobelin Tapestry. In 2008, she graduated from Emily Carr University and in 2010, she received a Certificate in Liberal Arts from Simon Fraser University. Her portfolio includes national and international exhibitions, an online catalogue, guest speaker, artist’s residences, and videos. She has recently completed a commissioned 22ft.wide mural in Yaletown. Vancouver.

Keenan’s new paintings and large murals continue her in-depth exploration on the theme of Avian Fableswhere in collage or paint she envisions surreal imaginary stories.  Scale is often arbitrary and non-perspective and the difference between the characters depicted as birds and humans are fanciful. Keenan explores engaging stories in the surreal bodies of land and water found on the shoreline while aided by avian guides, the harbingers of seasonal and environmental changes. http://www.alisonkeenanpaintings.com

I began painting this canvas which I call Photosynthesis in February 2020, when the virus was named and later became a pandemic. I was very sure that the work would not refer to Covid-19 images or be read as oppressive in any way. Invited visitors to my studio have responded with delight. For me it is a heartwarming affirmation to be able to bring joy through art under such difficult circumstances. One of the consequences of the pandemic is the clearing of the skies and the sense that the earth has begun to breathe again. The imagery is influenced by my garden now flourishing like a jungle.