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| RESUME |
| Alison Holt is a textile artist based in Shropshire with a fine art textiles degree from Goldsmiths College London. She is the co curator of Stitch by Stitch Exhibition She combines silk painting and freehand machine embroidery, drawing with a basic sewing machine to create richly detailed textured studies of landscapes and the natural world. Alisons art reflects her fascination with pattern, light and colour. She aims to capture a moment and a memory, driven by the need to explore and record what she sees With a career spanning 40 years as a textile artist, tutor and author of 5 books Alison has taught and exhibited widely in the UK, Australia, NZ and Europe. More recently exhibiting at the Mall Galleries, London with various Royal Societies including the RSMA where she won the Charles Pears Award and SGFA when she won the Pure Art Prize. Born in Oswestry, Shropshire, England, Alison completed a Foundation Course at Shrewsbury School of Art in 1976 and went on to study Fine Art Embroidery at Goldsmiths College, London qualifying in 1979. She exhibited in Texprint `79 as one of the years 30 most promising graduates. Artist statement 'Each piece is a combination of silk painting and freehand machine stitching. The painting creates depth, perspective and richness to the work and combines effectively with stitch to give detail and texture. I explore my subject matter directly on to my fabric, drawing and painting with threads. I use a very old (1965 model) basic Bernina sewing machine to 'draw' with, the machine simply makes the stitches while I manoeuvre the silk painted background under the needle. I started to explore my love of the natural world through the medium of embroidery and found it the perfect vehicle to express the colours, textures and shapes I find so fascinating. I try to combine in my compositions a sense of light and an interesting juxtaposition of colour, shape and texture. I consider myself a fine artist who has colour, line and texture to play with: a painter that uses threads, an artist that draws with a sewing machine. I work to commission and have exhibited my embroideries in the UK at the Chelsea Flower Show and other venues, in the USA and Australia and NZ. Visit my Exhibitions page for more information on current shows. Drawing on the natural world for my inspiration I see colour, detail and texture everywhere I look. I live on the Shropshire / Welsh border, an area that has a rich diversity of scenery. The Shropshire plain stretching for miles with its patchwork of fields, gentle rolling hills, a wealth of woodlands and the drama of mountains and waterfalls further into Wales. Add into this mix of imagery the four seasons, with spring and summer flowers, autumn colours, winter snow and frost and the inspiration for me is endless. ------0OO0-------- SELECTED-EXHIBITIONS 2026 Willow Gallery: New Year Open - Oswestry Royal Society of Graphic Fine Art Exhibition Mall Galleries: London Winner of the Pure Art Prize Fresh Art Fair with Park Gallery Cheltenham Textures and Rhythms Exhibition: RBSA Gallery Birmingham Cors-y-gedol and Taith Ardudwy: Ty Meirion Gallery North Wales Stitch Unbound Exhibition: selected show, Willow Gallery Oswestry London Fountain Gallery, East Molesey nr Hampton Court 2025 Royal Society of Marine Artists Exhibition: Mall Galleries London Stitch by Stitch Exhibition 2025: Willow Gallery Oswestry RBSA Summer Exhibition: RBSA Gallery. Birmingham The Gallery at Green and Stone Summer Exhibition, London Royal Cambrian Academy Open Exhibition: Conwy North Wales Willow Gallery: New Year Open - Oswestry Grosvenor Museums 15th Open Art Exhibition: Chester The Art of Embroidery: The Worshipful Broderers, Bankside Gallery, London Fountain Gallery, East Molesey nr Hampton Court Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition: Mall Galleries, London Royal Society of Graphic Fine Art Exhibition Mall Galleries: London Beyond the Prize Exhibition: Mall Galleries London RBSA Drawing Prize: RBSA Gallery Birmingham 2024 Outside Edges Group Show- Ty Meirion Gallery North Wales Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition - Mall Galleries, London RBSA Summer Exhibition, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham RBSA Prize Exhibition, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham Pensychnant Conservation Centre Summer Exhibition - Conwy N. Wales The Gallery at Green and Stone Summer Exhibition - London 54 The Gallery, Summer Exhibition, Mayfair - London Fountain Gallery, East Molesey nr Hampton Court Royal Society of Marine Artists Exhibition, Mall Galleries - London Ty Pawb Open Call Exhibition Wrexham 2023 Royal Society of Marine Artists Exhibition: Mall Galleries - London Discerning Eye Exhibition: Mall Galleries - LONDON Abstract Landscapes: The Gateway Gallery, Shrewsbury Fountain Gallery, East Molesey nr Hampton Court Stitch by Stitch: Willow Gallery Oswestry Exploring Textures: Sixteen Gallery Cheltenham Turning Tide Exhibition: Ty Meirion Gallery North Wales 2022 The Art of Embroidery: The Worshipful Broderers, Bankside, LONDON Willow Gallery Oswestry Sixteen Gallery Cheltenham Ty Meirion Gallery North Wales Ellesmere Art Exhibition, Ellesmere College, Shropshire 2021 Hand and Lock Embroidered Arts, Oxo Tower LONDON Ty Meirion North Wales Ellesmere Art Exhibition, Ellesmere College, Shropshire 2019 Boyd Dunlop Gallery, Napier New Zealand Gallery76 Concorde West Sydney Australia 2018 Boyd Dunlop Gallery, Napier New Zealand Gallery76 Concorde West Sydney Australia Royal Academy of Arts - Summer Exhibition LONDON Stitch - Daniel Raphael Gallery, LONDON Nexus - Mid Wales Arts 2017 Willow Gallery Summer Exhibition, Oswestry, Shropshire Summer Exhibition, M1 Gallery, Greenwich, LONDON 2016 Embroiderers Guild Capability Brown Festival Landscapes and Gardens, Chirk Castle, Wrexham Artrix, Bromsgrove Knitting and Stitching Show, Alexandra Palace, LONDON Knitting and Stitching Show, Harrogate Ellesmere Art Exhibition, Ellesmere College, Shropshire Willow Gallery Summer Exhibition, Oswestry, Shropshire Summer Exhibition, M1 Gallery, Greenwich, LONDON 2015 Craft in Focus at RHS Garden, Wisley Ellesmere Art Exhibition, Ellesmere College, Shropshire Summer Exhibition, M1 Gallery, Greenwich, LONDON Fire Station Gallery, Melbourne, Australia Textile Prague, Slovansky dum, Na Prikope 22, Prague 2014 Craft in Focus at RHS Wisley Ellesmere Art Exhibition, Ellesmere College, Shropshire Willow Gallery Summer Exhibition, Oswestry, Shropshire 2013 Quilt Expo en Beaujolais, Nr Lyon, France Ellesmere Art Exhibition, Ellesmere College, Shropshire Food For Thought Exhibition Mid Wales Arts Centre, Newtown Feature International Artist, The Tasmanian Craft Fair, Aus. 2012 The Society of Botanical Artists Open Exhibition, London Ellesmere Art Exhibition, Ellesmere College, Shropshire Drawn to Craft, Bilston Craft Gallery, West Mids Florum Annual Exhibition, Sevenoaks, Kent 2011 The Society of Botanical Artists Open Exhibition, London Fine Art Open Competition, Weston Park, Shropshire Fabrication, Willow Gallery, Oswestry, Shropshire, Florum Annual Exhibition, Sevenoaks, Kent 2010 Galerie Buzhashi, Dorking Contemporary Textile Fair, Teddington The Society of Botanical Artists Open Exhibition, London (Presidents award) Art in Action, Waterperry, Oxford Guest Artist at Church Stretton Arts Festival, Shropshire Feature Artist, European Patchwork Meeting, Alsace, France Florum Annual Exhibition Sevenoaks,Kent Autumn Art Fair, Teddington 2009 Contemporary Textile Fair, Teddington The Society of Botanical Artists Open Exhibition, London Y Capel Summer Exhibition, Llangollen Y Capel Winter Exhibition, Llangollen Landmarks Arts Fair, Teddington The Summer Exhibition, Oswestry Heritage Centre Florum Annual Exhibition Sevenoaks, Kent 2008 Contemporary Textile Fair, Teddington Art in Action, Waterperry Oxford Nature in Art, Nr. Gloucester 'Flower Power' 2007 Art in Action, Waterperry, Oxford 2006 Art in Action, Waterperry, Oxford Nature in Art, Nr. Gloucester, Group Show 2002 BVA 'Yellow', Theatre Clwyd, Mold 2001 The Summer Exhibition, Oswestry Heritage Centre. 1999 Shropshire Open, Gateway Gallery, Shrewsbury 1997 Art in Action, Waterperry, Oxford 1996 Art in Action, Waterperry, Oxford 1995 Art in Action, Waterperry, Oxford 1987 Northern College of Music, Manchester, Christmas Show 1986 Nevertheless Gallery, St. Louis, USA 1985 Marple Bridge Gallery, Cheshire 1982 Group Show, Craft Alliance. St. Louis, USA 1979 Design Council of Great Britain, Texprint '79, London From 1995 to 2019 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, London TEACHING AND LECTURING I taught textiles at Wrexham College of Art for three years before starting my own studio near Chester in 1982. I have worked and taught in my Garden Studio in Oswestry Shropshire since 2000. From 2013 to 2019 I travelled to Australia for a 6-week trip to teach enthusiastic groups who know of my work through my books and website. It became a regular trip, expanding the number of locations each time and including exhibiting my work and making some wonderful friends. I added New Zealand to my annual trip in 2017. MACHINE EMBROIDERY BOOKS Currently all books are out of print My most recent book is 'Machine Embroidered Art' published in 2019, a compilation of 4 books (Seascapes, Woodlands, Flowers and Landscapes) My inspiration and subject matter have changed over the years and this is reflected in the series of books I have had published. Book 1 'Plants and Flowers in Machine Embroidery' published by Batsford in 1990 was launched at Libertys in London. Reprinted in 1997 in paperback. Book 2 'Machine Embroidered Landscapes' was published by Search Press in January 2002, and so far has sold more than 25,000 copies. Book 3 'Machine Embroidered Flowers' was also published by Search Press in June 2006. Book 4 'Machine Embroidered Woodlands', published January 2009. Book 5 'Seascapes' was published in May 2012 MAGAZINE ARTICLES 2925 Embroidery Magazine 2023 Embroidery Magazine 2018 Shropshire Living 2017 Be Creative with Workbox 2017 Stitch (UK) 2016 Our Quilting (German Publication published in the UK) 2016 Welsh Border Life (UK) 2016 Swedish Embroidery Magazine (Swedish publication) 2015 Textile Fibre Forum (Australian publication) 2013 Embroidery (UK) 2013 Stitch (UK) 2012 The Shropshire Magazine (UK) 2010 Patchwork Professional (German and Dutch publications) 1999 Stitch (UK) 1995 Stitch (UK) BORDERLAND VISUALS ARTS I am an active member of the BVA,(Borderland Visual Arts) who hold a successful Open Studios event in June, in Oswestry each year, where you can meet the artists and watch them work. There is always an exhibition by members in Oswestry Library. For more information go to the links page for the BVA website SOCIETY OF BOTANICAL ARTISTS I was made an Member of the SBA in Feb 2011. In 2010 I won the Presidents Award for Work in a Media other than watercolour. SEWING MACHINES I am often asked for advice on sewing machines, I use a Bernina, the one I use in my studio is a 740 and was made in 1965. I also have a Bernina 1020 and a 1008, which is the most basic model, perfect for free-hand machine embroidery. For more information about their machines go to the links page and click on Bernina Sewing Machines |
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