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W
ith an eye for design and a love for
the outdoors, mixed media artist,
Alison Galvan redefines the world
of art. Her sculpture-like, three dimensional
pieces embody the wild yet, peaceful spirit
within Galvan. She has worked to create a
safe haven in her lavish landscape pieces for
her viewers; a place to rest a weary mind and
to restore peace and a sense of calm. Galvan’s
creative journey started in fashion design and
after a bit of self discovery, her career flour-
ished into the epic, awe inspiring pieces of
work she creates today.
Born and raised among a very conserva-
tive family in Vancouver, BC, Alison Galvan
seemingly stuck out with her free spirited na-
ture. At a young age, Galvan loved sports and
the outdoors, preferring to play soccer and
baseball over joining Girl Scouts. She fur-
thers, “I was always a bit of square peg trying
to fit in a round hole and while my brother
was very academically inclined, I excelled in
sports, creative writing, drama and home eco-
nomics. When I was little I was always trying
to build or construct wild inventions.”
Although very attracted to bright colors,
A Step into the Forest | Alison Galvan
By Chelsea Koressel

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and often getting in trouble after
experimenting with her moth-
er’s makeup, Galvan wasn’t im-
mediately interested in drawing
or painting. Instead, she loved
playing with clothes; figuring out
how to engineer her own patterns
and sewing her own designs. “I
fear I embarrassed my ultra con-
servative parents with many of
my rather avant garde designs!”
She recalls.
As a teen, Galvan indulged in
many outdoor adventures where
a lot of her creative inspiration
was born. “I biked from Banff to
Jasper in Alberta,” she explains, “I even cross
country skied around Mt. Robinson in Alberta
and was in the group that was the first to bike
the Dempster Highway from Dawson City
to Inuvik. My father and I also shared some
wonderful times together biking the Gulf Is-
lands, hiking and sleeping under the stars.”
After high school ended, Galvan quickly
recognized that a traditional university educa-
tion would not feel right. Luckily, a new inde-
pendent school known as the Helen LeFeaux
School of Fashion Design opened in her area
and she plunged ahead into their one year
program. She had hands on experience with
pattern making, tailoring, draping, fashion il-
lustration, storyboarding, etc. Through much
of her time and research into the backgrounds
of some of her favorite designers, she soon
learned that many of them attended Parsons
School of Design in New York.
“I was working on the assumption that if
my fashion heroes attended Parsons and
achieved success,” explains Galvan, “then
it was obviously the place to be. I created
a portfolio and mailed it off with confi-
dence, naive and ignorant of the presti-
gious nature of Parsons in the art world.
Two weeks later I received my acceptance
letter, much to my family’s chagrin. I was
19 years old, blond, and bursting with re-
bellion!”
Art school was just the place for Gal-
van and her highly creative mind. Al-
Autumn Aspens | 24 x 30 x 6 | Mixed Media & Acrylic
Alison in studio

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though she went to Parsons with the intention
of studying fashion design, she soon found
herself gravitating towards different areas of
artistic study. One of her favorite classes was
Form and Space: Introduction into 3D Work,
and Color Theory. As her time at school pro-
gressed, she soon had to choose a specific
concentration of study.
She recalls, “Ever the practical person and
heavily influence by my family background,
in the end I stuck with fashion, thinking of the
future employment opportunities within that
industry in comparison to the ‘starv-
ing artist.’”
After a pleasurable education
and a life changing year studying
abroad in Paris, she graduated from
Parsons in 1993 with a Bachelors in
Fine Art with a major in fashion de-
sign. What followed was years of
traveling, exploring and eventually
creating her own children’s wear
company called, “Alioops.” Al-
though her time working in fashion
provided her with a fruitful career,
she decided to take time to reflect on
the next step of her artistic journey.
She decided on a trip to New Orle-
ans where she met her future hus-
band. After two months of traveling
together, they decided to get mar-
ried in the Philippines. She and her
new husband spent the next 15 months living
and traveling through the Asian continent.
Galvan became a mother to two children
who showed her a side to her creativity that
she hadn’t recognized before. “Ten years ago
while homeschooling my children,” she ex-
plains. “I began experimenting with a paper
and gypsum sculpting compound to create
school projects. As we progressed, sculpting
and painting, more and more it was me that
was having the most fun and getting lost in
the creative process. I would often forget the
time and the fact that history lessons were
supposed to be happening.”
This process of sculpting with sculptam-
old, the use of acrylic paints, and her love of
nature became the right combination to set
Galvan off into her own creative world. She
loved the way the material emulated the bark
of trees and how it created unusual textures
and shapes; each time allowing for “happy
accidents” and spontaneity within each piece.
Therefore, each piece contains unique quali-
ties that are true originals.
“I am on a quest,” furthers Galvan, “to cap-
Shades of Gold | 48 x 48 x 8 |Mixed Media & Acrylic

4. ture a sense of light and depth when I paint.
The way light filters through the trees is so
very elusive. It gives the woods such a magi-
cal feel that I’ve often said, that although I’m
all grown up and ever so pragmatic, there are
moments when during a hike, the light shines
in just such a way that I swear if there really
were fairies, elves and gnomes, they would be
there flitting amongst the ferns.”
Besides the great outdoors, these mag-
ical works of art are inspired by many peo-
ple in Galvan’s life. Her father is at the top
of her list as a huge supporter of her, “crazy
ideas, dreams, and even gallivanting all over
the world.” Her husband and children have
been very encouraging as well throughout her
art career. Artist Jack White, mentor for Gal-
van, has also remained a steady influence in
her life. Galvan elaborates, “I admire Jack
White because very much like myself, he was
not ‘born to be an artist’ and yet he and his
wife decided upon this career path and have
worked hard and smart to achieve tremendous
personal and financial success.”
Galvan has had success of her own through
much hard work and dedication. In 2012, she
was runner up for her piece, Endurance, in the
“Inspired Art,” group show for Studio 1219,
Port Huron, MI. She was also a part of group
show, “Ka-Pow!” At the Foundry Art Centre,
St. Charles, MO where she won second place
for her piece, The Chaperones. In addition,
Galvan has been nominated by the city of St.
Catharines for the St. Catharines Arts Award
in the category, “Making a Difference” for
her business, The Art Gym and the concept
of making art; its appreciation, creation, and
accessibility to everyone.
The Art Gym is a new creation for Galvan
and has been encouraging many new, aspiring
artists. It’s a place where people can drop in
and experiment with all sorts of art supplies,
have lessons in a particular medium, and cel-
ebrate birthdays with art. It essentially serves
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Into the Blue | 40 x 30 x 8 | Mixed Media & Acrylics
Misty Road | 48 x 60 x 8 | Mixed Media and Acrylics

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as a place to explore creativity in many forms.
Galvan continues involvement with Art
Gym while also toiling away on her own body
of work where she now resides in St. Ca-
tharines, Ontario, Canada. Each piece truly
pulls the viewer in for a peaceful, cherishable
moment among the landscape and trees she so
expertly depicts. The combination of her 3D
designs and the mysticism of her subject mat-
ter create a very interactive effect that offer up
a brief adventure or even a brief vacation.
“I want to create beauty,” Galvan de-
scribes. “I want to create mystery and won-
der. I want to share with those that look upon
my work, my sense of calm, and peace that
I find in a craggy tree trunk as the sunlight
caresses it early in the morning. In the woods
is the place where I do my best thinking and
have made some of my most momentous de-
cisions. If by having one of my paintings per-
haps across from someone’s desk, or in a den
and it relaxes them and helps them to regain
their focus, then I have successfully shared
my vision and achieved my goal.”
Sunkissed Morning | 18 x 36 x 2.5 | Mixed Media & Acrylic