Alison J. Syer Exhibitions 2010 - *Out of Hand* student group exhibit at Whippersnapper Gallery 2010 - Sheridan College Gallery graduating class exhibit 2010 - Toronto Alternative Arts and Fashion Week Sheridan College Textiles student group collection 2010 - Sheridan College Gallery textiles group exhibit 2009 - Port Credit Outdoor Art Show 2009 - Textiles Museum of Canada student group exhibit

2008 - Port Credit Outdoor Art Show 2007 - Port Credit Outdoor Art Show 2007 - Port Credit Art Walk 2006 - Port Credit Art Walk 2007 - Lorne Park Library 2006 - Lorne Park Library with Rosie Edwards 2006 - Whiteoaks Art Group Fall Show 2006 - Whiteoaks Art Group at Remax, 6850 Millcreek 2006 - Whiteoaks Art Group Spring Show 2005 - Whiteoaks Art Group Fall Show

Education 2007-2010 Sheridan College - Crafts and Design (Textiles) 2006-2007 Sheridan College - Art Fundamentals (Illustration) Natural Dyes workshop Portfolios for Artists workshop Beadwork course 2 Acrylic painting courses Publications Anonymous Cheese (Mississauga Committee of Young Artists) Commissions Painting for E. Turnbull Affiliations Mississauga Arts Council Ontario Crafts Council

Alison J. Syer - whalesong17@gmail.com

Artist’s Bio Alison Syer was a Visual Arts major at Cawthra Park Secondary School, graduating in 2001. From there, she attended two years of university study in Environmental and Resource Management. As interesting as this was, she missed artistic endeavours, and so in 2005, she took 2 sessions of Acrylics painting classes at Springbank Arts Centre, and also participated in her first group exhibition, with the White Oaks Art Group, held at Riverwood, the home of Visual Arts Mississauga. She successfully completed the Art Fundamentals (Illustration stream) Certificate program at Sheridan College in 2006-07, and will complete the Crafts and Design program at Sheridan in 2010, with a studio concentration in textiles.

Alison J. Syer - whalesong17@gmail.com

Artist’s Statement My approach combines curiosity and a love of colour and texture, with concern for environmental issues. I am inspired by natural imagery, such as trees, flora, and most notably butterflies, as well as by my personal experiences and emotions. The positive and negative sides of human emotion interest me, and I aim to express these themes in my work through my choices of subject, colours, and combinations of heavy and delicate fabrics. I enjoy pieces that ‘feel’ right in my hands, whether it’s soft felt or fabric, or cool to the touch stone and glass beads, or has to do with the size, shape or weight of the piece. My work is also a way of trying to connect with other people, and to express whatever joy, sadness, and other emotions I am feeling at the time. The hope is that I can create an emotional response in the viewer, that they can both understand my intentions in the work, and also find their own meanings in it. I love to explore using media that are new to me, for example textile techniques like hand and machine embroidery, but often return to favourites including acrylic paints, or making beaded jewellery. In my textile and jewellery pieces, I regularly use natural materials such as silk, linen, and stone beads, largely because of their tactile qualities, and work with appliqué and embroidery techniques which allow me to incorporate scraps and leftovers, to minimize the waste I produce. I am working on a series of acrylic paintings which are each based on the markings of a type of butterfly, taking the true to life colours, and altering the marks and patterns to compose the piece. My current textile work is also butterfly inspired, as I am working on a series of machine embroidery pieces, each a different butterfly, to be pinned and framed in specimen boxes much like real insect specimens are. This work expands on the themes of natural imagery, and of personal sadness and loss.

Alison J. Syer - whalesong17@gmail.com