Biography

Alison Kelly is a contemporary British painter and printmaker.

Kelly’s practice is grounded in experimentation and invention alongside real-world inspiration. Her paintings and prints draw on organic and man-made forms, filtering these aesthetic and sensory experiences through the lens of her imagination. Her fundamental drive is to invent rather than simply represent. It is this playfulness, and embrace of the unknown that enables the evolution of a distinctive and deeply personal visual language.

In the studio, Kelly engages with the aesthetic possibilities of combined painting and drawing materials, processes, and techniques in order to discover the unique mark-making potential of each. Her practice in painting is also influenced by the disciplines of a range of printmaking techniques; she works extensively in intaglio, relief, and screen-printing, often combining methods in unique ways. Frequently pushing and combining print mediums beyond their traditional limitations, she creates an inventory of marks that are unique to the language of print.

Kelly’s work blurs the boundaries between abstraction and figuration. Dynamic juxtapositions of colour, form, line, and surface speak to wider art historical movements such as expressionism and minimalism. Repetition and rhythm play a central role in the work. She stresses that his aspect of her work - as well as echoing fluid and geometric pattern found in both natural and constructed systems - is a instinctively human preoccupation. The physicality and movement involved in her painting process - driven by improvised and spontaneous gesture – creates a continual sense of motion. At the same time, multiple layers create a sense of depth that invite a slower gaze, mindful contemplation and appreciation of our sensory capabilities.

In a world increasingly detached from sensory engagement and saturated with logic, meaning, and interpretation, Kelly’s work appeals directly to the senses, delivering experiences that feel immediately accessible, democratic, and universal.

Born in 1968 in Manchester, Alison Kelly studied BA Design & Media at Thames Valley University (now University of West London), a Postgraduate in Photojournalism at the London College of Communication (now UAL), a PGCE in Art & Design Education at Manchester Metropolitan University and an MA in Fine Art at the City & Guilds of London Art School. As well as her practice as an artist, teaching and raising a family, in 2010 she co-founded Atelier Rose & Gray, a gallery showcasing contemporary artists’ prints. The venture has contributed significantly to access to original art in print in the North West.

Alison Kelly lives and works in Manchester and London

Yellow Fuse, 2026, Oil on gesso panel 122.0 × 180.0cm