Artist Spotlight | Allison Hall

An Interview with Allison Hall

Allison Hall is a Savannah-based illustrator and SCAD graduate whose passion for gouache paint and creative community led her to establish a playful series of art workshops for adults that extend over the last six years! 

Originally from Dallas, Texas where she describes her upbringing as having “markers on the kitchen table and forts in the living room,” Allison has spent most of her life soaking up the Southern sun, which translates to a warm, nostalgic style in her art. Her work centers around landscapes, still-life, and colorful motifs captured most often in gouache—though she didn’t touch the medium until introduced during her time at Savannah College of Art and Design. 

During her time in college, we had the pleasure of having Allison work at The Paris Market where she counted sea shells and drew inspiration from all the found objects lying around, and it’s a pleasure to come full circle and bring her back for a workshop later this month. 

Why Gouache?

Allison had never encountered gouache until it was required to understand color-matching. She explained gouache as a water-based paint that requires only a drop of liquid to activate, and dries quickly with a flat, chalky texture. Because of its finicky nature, not many people choose to work with the medium, but that’s why she loves it!

“Originally, it wasn’t used for fine art, but for fabric-making. You can get an incredibly clear design across using it, which was helpful when trying to turn out clothing designs with a pattern-forward focus.” 

Allison was already enamored with the medium, but says it wasn’t until she watched Anna Bond revolutionize the artform and bring it into mainstream with Rifle Paper Co. that she let herself lean fully in! And while Allison was taught to use Procreate and other digital art programs useful for an illustration career at school, by graduation she was ready to get back to organic shapes, watercolor, paint-mixing and decorative styles. 

“I lost my iPad pen sometime after graduation, and never looked back! I just knew I didn’t want to spend my life on a screen.” 

Shortly after graduating with a BFA in Illustration in 2016, Allison was commissioned by a friend to create her wedding invitations—a business which spread through word of mouth over the following years. From there, she moved into a studio in 2018, and shortly after that, started hosting workshops.

How does the workshop work? 

Beyond technique, creation, or inspiration, for Allison, the workshops always come down to community. 

“Adults don’t have enough third spaces! It’s hard to make friends as an adult, especially in a new city, so my favorite part about creating these places for people to gather is to watch conversations spark and friendships form.” 

Because of this, Allison keeps her workshops small, hoping to build intimacy and trust with everyone gathered around the same table. If anyone is intimidated by the idea of an art workshop because they’re not “good” she loves to watch them light up and remember how to play, which she says is the whole purpose of art. 

To start it off, Allison typically prepares a still-life. Sometimes she’ll use flowers, showcasing a variety of texture and color which gouache is uniquely suited to capture. At other times she’ll use fruit or plants—and with The Paris Market, she’s hoping to gather a few, unique items around the store to compose her centerpiece! But the goal, always, is to spark curiosity and playfulness again. 

Then with everyone gathered and a centerpiece formed, Allison starts with a sketch, going over how to quickly capture an object or scene with pencil so that the gouache paint can easily follow. She tells everyone to draw what they see, but also encourages them to leave out anything they’re not connecting with. “If it’s a still-life of fruit, but you really hate pineapple, skip it! Just add something else in its place.”

Once the sketch is done, she shows everyone how to activate the paint with water and mix colors, layering them on small paper squares. “Sometimes, that’s all people want to do! It’s fun and contained, and having a small surface area means less pressure.” Others, she says, take the concept and run with it, creating a full painting with backgrounds, or embellishing floral designs with some of their own. 

“As kids, we were all creative, but adulthood really stresses us out with the pursuit of perfection. The point is to play. I try to look around, and remind everyone: this is for you! Get whatever you want out of it, just let it be yours.”

Sign up for the workshop HERE!!!

August 21st | 6:30-8:30pm

$125/Ticket - Details at the link above!

Photography by Dayna Anderson Lambert (@dayglow.photo)