Alison Hixon is a Santa Fe-based artist who creates large-scale mixed media watercolor paintings. After earning a BFA from Stephens College in Columbia, MO, she spent her time in Chicago working as an actor in theatre and film. Her visual work serves as a personal commentary on her life’s journey, exploring themes of self-identity and the emotional complexities of being a woman in the world. Each piece is a reflection of her experiences, capturing the nuanced interplay of color and emotion that defines her work. She is currently represented at Susan Eddings Perez Gallery in Santa Fe, NM.
In my work, I balance between the known and the unknown as it twists through both body and space. The figures in my paintings emerge distorted, their forms stretched and contorted as they navigate surreal landscapes. These dreamlike settings evoke a sense of disorientation, a visual manifestation of the emotional turmoil and our subconscious dark matter.
The use of muted tones and fluid lines underscores the tension between presence and absence, between the real and the imagined. The environments my figures inhabit are extensions of their inner worlds, spaces that morph and shift in response to their emotional states. The structures, bridges, and pathways hint at connections between self and world, between one moment and the next.
Each piece is an exploration of how our inner lives shape and are shaped by the spaces we occupy. The eyes, often focal points in my work, are windows to the soul, distorted yet revealing, capturing the complexity of emotion in a single glance.
Through my art, I invite viewers to step into this liminal space, to confront the discomfort of the unfamiliar, and to find meaning in the fluidity of existence. My hope is to inspire a deeper connection to our own emotional landscapes, to embrace the discomfort that comes with growth, and to trust the journey within.