About Allison
Artist Statement
Allison McGree is a contemporary western artist, specializing in both Acrylic and Oil Painting as well as Sculpted-Relief. Her style is Expressionistic, often focused on the emotional response the artist has toward the world. She finds inspiration in open and wild spaces. Nature is her greatest teacher, though her studies have also influenced her work.
Allison holds a BA in Fine Arts from Gonzaga University, a BA in K-12 Art Education from Montana State University, and a MA in Holistic Art Programming, Practice, and Outreach with an emphasis on sustainability, community, and public art from Prescott College. Allison received the Art Award upon graduation from Gonzaga University, and she has published two books, Montana’s Rivers Coloring Book and Lessons and a workbook entitled, Be Creative, 30 days dedicated to unlocking your creativity. Allison has been a Featured Artist in The Art Chowder magazine, and GoSolo, she is a member of The Scout Guide Bozeman, and she has been a Teaching Artist across the state of Montana. In addition to her smaller works, she has also created multiple large Sculpted-Relief Murals including a twenty-foot-long Sculpted-Relief Mural of the Bridger Mountains at Big Sky Dental in Bozeman, Montana, The Sleeping Giant Mountain with Wildlife in Montana City, Montana, and she worked with her friend and mentor Bonnie Wakeman to create a Sculpted-Relief Mural at the Greenough/The Resort at Paws Up Luxury Resort in Greenough, Montana. She is represented by Gallery 287 in Ennis, Montana and by Montana Arts and Home in Big Sky, Montana.
While McGree is grateful for her experiences through education, it is an appreciation of the artist within each of us, a heritage born in creativity, and the art of feeling in color that define her own art and her own heart.
Words from Allison herself:
I find inspiration in open and wild spaces. Nature offers me peace, adventure, perspective, and creativity. As a sixth generation Montanan, who I am is deeply intertwined with the Big Sky State. I grew up alongside the seasons; learning lessons of patience, of sowing seeds, of celebrating long days and bright wildflowers and appreciating winter storms that help to keep our rivers flowing and offer so much fun on the ski hill. Growing up in Montana gave me a sense of profound admiration for wildlife and the land and for a world much larger than myself.
My art and who I am as a person continue to grow alongside and with nature.
Growing up in Helena my parents joined their stories together from Butte (Dad) and Great Falls (Mom). They fell in love on a ski hill (Showdown) and a deep love for the outdoors was fostered in my siblings and I from birth.
Our activities have always been outside. Running, skiing, camping, fishing, biking, hiking, reading, and creating art are activities best done in the mountains. I spent years chasing snow and beautiful rivers for adventure. I have grown to respect these wild places and their power with each passing season. My latest series, Montana’s Rivers, is a combination of all parts of myself. I am a Teaching Artist who believes that we are all better individually and collectively when we allow ourselves to be creative. This is why you will find a Coloring Book with Lessons alongside this series of paintings entitled, Montana’s Rivers Coloring Book and Lessons, The Interconnections, Impact, and Beauty of Montana’s Rivers. The interconnections, impact and beauty of these places makes dreaming about, and then painting rivers, extraordinary. I find that if I am trying to make a big decision, sitting at the bank of a river, and listening to the flow of the water allows me to have the perspective and vision to find my way towards endless answers.
When I create art, I am celebrating and drawing attention to all of the things that light me up and bring me peace and joy. I hope that through my creations, the viewer can feel similarly and grow in their appreciation for wild spaces, big skies, and the interconnectedness of all things.
Learn more here: https://gosolo.subkit.com/allison-mcgree-fine-art/