I am delighted to welcome Ali Mackie to our gallery this month, in a very special joint exhibition - FAMILY TIES.

Ali has launched her new collection in the gallery - The kalanchoe and blueberry paintings, and they are on display alongside her Mum’s (Susan’s) beautiful artworks.

Explore more of this exhibition and discover more about Ali in this interview…

My work

My work is probably best described by sharing my ethos with you... ”Collector and creator of joyful colours, curious compositions and warm words, drawn together with a BRIGHT point of view”

Vibrant, colour saturated landscapes and botanicals have become synonymous with my BRIGHT work. They are cheerful depictions of my everyday surroundings that bring me joy to study and paint. The bold colour being representative of how I observe the world around me. The longer I look, the brighter colours become.

My journey to becoming an artist.

My journey to full-time artist has taken some creative turns. As a child I always had a pencil in my hand and throughout school it was the art and design departments where I felt most at home. After completing a degree in Furniture Design, a Masters from the Royal College of Art propelled me into interior design, specialising in corporate interiors for brands such as Louis Vuitton and Stella McCartney. When I became a mama my creative path changed to full time artist.

My inspiration

For me inspiration is often found close to home, plants on my windowsill and in my garden, views across local fields and everyday objects that intrigue me. I enjoy focusing on one or two items at a time and seeing how perspective, composition and colour can be manipulated to make a picture. 

A typical creative day

I’m not quite sure what a typical creative day is. Each day is so varied and unique, no two are the same. My favourite creative days however are ones spent in my studio, playing with paint, to my heart’s content and listening to Country Hits Radio.

Process and techniques

Most of my painting work stems from sketches. Drawings of an object or place that has caught my attention. Working up from the drawings to studies on paper or small boards allows me to dive deeper into the subject. By this stage in the process, I’ve normally got a strong vision in my mind of how I’d like a collection to come together. The smaller works help me realise and test this vision. I see paintings in my mind’s eye that often present themselves in a series of layers or graphic shapes, each forming a piece of the finished puzzle. The layers and shapes are quite clear in my mind, and I approach the painting process as if constructing an image from the ground up. Perhaps it’s my background in interiors or my experience of A-level printmaking that has brought this quirk to my thought process?

Favourite painting

Hands down, my favourite painting is Sleeping Satellite, from the Pots & Plates collection. It won me a place in the RA Summer Exhibition 2023, which was an absolute dream come true.

Tips for buying art for home.

Chose artwork that fills you with joy and keeps you coming back for another look. Let the paintings you choose tell the story of who you are. I’ve written a blog post all about why art makes a home - Daily moments of joy that help you pause for thought, please follow the link if you’d like to know more www.alimackie.art

Where to see more

🔸See the full collection of new works at Emerald Gallery in Family Ties🔸

Recent collections are all listed on my website www.alimackie.art My shop sells smaller original paintings, fine art prints, cards and more. Penn Street Gallery has a collection of my work, www.pennstreetgallery.com and Vincent & Green represent a special online collection of botanical works on paper, www.vincentandgreen.com