Alison Simons
Art Forms
Painting
Artist information
I find losing myself in the process of creating a painting to be a valuable source of escapism. I work with fluid acrylic paints and other additives to create impressionist and abstract artworks influenced by nature, fantasy and, of course, escapism. I often paint intuitively, being guided by the serendipity of the paint, however I love the challenge of manipulating what should be an unpredictable paint pour into something recognisable, with vibrant, and often iridescent colours.
I am most well known for my paintings of dragons, which may be created almost entirely by using air pressure to manipulate the paint, or are sometimes created with more traditional brushwork over a poured background, or a combination of both. I find myself fascinated by flight. If I had a superpower I think flight would be it. Just imagine opening your wings, being buffeted by the wind, finding thermals to glide upon, being completely free, feeling the quiet that you have at altitude, the inner peace, the exhilaration and uncomplicated joy. Now pair that with high intelligence and the knowledge of never being preyed upon, having no cares at all. Wouldn’t that be fabulous? I see dragons as majestic and powerful creatures and my aim is to portray these features and emotions through my paintings of them.
Nature is another source of solace for me and it is where I feel the most content with my place in the world. It’s only natural to manifest my place of peace onto canvas. This is often in the form of flora and fauna, sometimes featuring birds or butterflies, and more recently I have been experimenting with landscapes, always using fluid acrylics with air pressure, swiping, and gravity to create the desired composition. You may well recognise the Malvern Hills amongst my work.
My final collection called ‘Twists and Turns of Life’, depicts abstract celebrations of light and form. This is an exploration of human interactions, how souls travel through the twists and turns of life, how they might come together and interact with one another. Life can sometimes be hard, cruel even, making us feel squeezed, yet at other times, the soul feels rich and full of energy, spreading out. I often embellish these paintings with gold leaf, which may be brass based or 23.5K gold.
So where did this all come from? I made my career in Neurophysiology performing diagnostic tests on the brain and nervous system, and have worked in the NHS for almost 18 years. I have always needed an outlet for my creativity and over the years this has been in the form of both music and art. Art has gradually become more of a calling and I came across fluid acrylics in 2019 when I became completely obsessed with it. I am proudly self taught and have taken the fairly well known techniques and adapted them to make them my own. My love of science helps with the understanding of the theory behind this form of painting. Almost as much time can be spent in preparing the canvas and the paints as in painting. I sometimes add other ingredients to my paints, such as silicone oil, pouring medium, paint conditioner imported from Australia, and varnish, which cause interactions between the paints creating some mesmerising effects. Working with different densities of paint and mica powders, helps add further interactions.
I recently took a major step in my art career by opening an art gallery, Aetheria Gallery & Studio, located in the heart of Great Malvern. This is where I have my studio space, creating my artwork, hosting workshops and demonstrations and exhibiting my art. I also exhibit artwork from several other local artists of various mediums. Malvern and the surrounding areas are teeming with artistic talent, and I wanted to celebrate that talent and provide support for other local artists. The Gallery has only been open since then end of November 2025, and is already becoming a community hub for artists.
I am also a member of the Herefordshire Guild of Craftsmen and exhibit with them across Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.
Website and social media
dragonrune_crafts
dragonrunecrafts
https://www.dragonrunecrafts.co.uk/