WINDOWS TO LIFE by Ally Hall

Opens on First Thursday the 4th of November 2021 and runs until the 3rd of January 2022.

"Many hours, turning into many days of staring at random paint, hoping to see something emerge, only to find something too close to the edge of the page or worse...nothing! At times, I thought a mind altering substance would help, but I had to stay true to myself and rely on my God given ability and trust for guidance… in between the not so good ones, comes the magic!... and the fun of developing it until I am happy. I find it interesting that many dogs have appeared in my work despite being a crazy cat person, and a very special rescue dog has entered my life! I was also inspired by the beautiful streets around Ground Art Cafe and you will see this emerging in my pieces."

Born in 1961 and raised on a farm in the Western Cape, Ally Hall began her artistic endeavors at a young age. Her journey was complex, and whilst she started with art as a subject in Highschool, due to a lack of confidence and fear of her Art teacher, she dropped out. However, her passion for art could not be quashed, and she was constantly exploring art in her own time, experimenting, and making pieces with fabric and beads and other mediums. Post high school and over the years, Ally went from airbrush artist to oil painter, wool painter to wax artist, and finally found her own unique style, reflecting her thoughts and feelings.

“The way I work is to just blob paint on paper, mix it around a bit and then look for something in the paint. Whatever appears I draw around and develop into a picture that I hope reflects an emotion with some movement. I like to use colour combinations that appeal to me and make the art more interesting.”

From the early 1980’s to 2000s Ally practiced as an airbrush artist, creating portraits both for a company and then on her own. After this she spent a few years working with oil and pastels and participated in some very successful exhibitions doing landscapes and abstracts. From 2013 to 2016 Ally went to Scotland and discovered felt painting, and spent those three years experimenting with, and mastering this medium. In 2018 Ally went to Seattle for a few days, which motivated her to study for a year the technique of encaustic art, which is painting with wax and shellac burning. During this time Ally became inspired by the artist Mel McCudding, and started to develop her current style using acrylics.