SA Artist Bridgette Allan

300mm x 450mm

Acrylic on masonite

unframed

an example of what the painting could look like framed

About the Artist

Painting is not a job, it is not a hobby , nor is it just something I do. Painting is an extension of who I am.
It is the way I describe my emotions , my thoughts , my days. My hopes are contained in the colours and the form my brush strokes make .
The paintings may take the shape of a flower study or a landscape or a nude but even the very slightest smudge of colour is applied with with passion and a fascination for the effect that it creates on the blank canvas .
Born  in Johannesburg on 21 June 1965,Bridgette was raised in an environment in which music, art and dance featured richly.
A two year period spent in Paris , France during her formative years had a significant influence over her appreciation of the the arts as many holidays and weekends were spent visiting sites of historical importance and great artistic value in various European cities.

It was this background that lead Bridgette to take art as a high school subject and although fascinated by both the Renaissance and Impressionist periods , Bridgette , being of high spirited and non conforming nature felt stifled by the very structured class regime and became frustrated at being unable to express herself freely on the canvas.
This,coupled with being convinced of unstable and erratic income for fine artists saw Bridgette c omplete a diploma in nursing . Although sketching and painting featured throughout her student years , it was whilst studying a post graduate course in Midwifery in Pietermaritzburg , where art and culture was easily accessible , that her love of art was rekindled .

Bridgette has experimented with various mediums including oils and pastels but acrylics have become her medium of choice as the versatility and quick drying properties of this paint suits her style of painting.

Her works can be described as large bold paintings , often forming the focal feature of a room and although she is able to vary her subject matter from bright floral studies with dramatic tonal contrasts to realistically painted wildlife to fulfill commissions , it is her subtle neutral coloured nudes that have become her trademark.
It is in these works that her intrigue of the human form, proportion and movement comes to the fore , initiated through studies of the human anatomy during her nursing years. Bridgette is challenged by trying to achieve accurate proportion and a sense of movement in her nude studies , as well as using different media to create the desired effect.

Inspiration comes to this artist often through poetry or the way in which dancers move or the lyrics of a song.

Bridgette's work has been sold throughout Southern Africa through art dealerships and galleries and   invested in by art lovers world wide who have bought off Internet art sites.. As well as a number of solo exhibitions in KZN , she has exhibited at Decorex and has been a regular exhibitor at Art in the Park in Pietermaritzburg.