Artists of Martinborough – Allison Hudson 

The second in my “Artists of Martinborough” is Allison Hudson.  Meeting Allison for the first time was a delight.  She has a big, warm personality that immediately makes you feel comfortable and at ease and that’s supposed to be my job as the interviewer.

 Her paintings reflect this warmth. A beautiful painting of a tui highlights  her love of nature, especially for Martinborough and its environs. 

 Allison and her husband and small daughters came to NZ to find a new place to live when resettling from Ireland.  They were planning to live north of Auckland at Dairy Flat but a friend said they should visit Martinborough.   They came, fell in love with Martinborough and bought land on the edge of town.
 Allison’s passion for her new home inspired her art and continues to do so.

She has always been into art from when her Granddad used to send her paint-by-numbers when she was s a small child.

She secured a place at Art College in Ireland but when she went to the open day, found that what was on show, paintings of capsicums, spanners and batteries, which was exactly what she had been doing repeatedly  during her secondary school art classes so she gave away the idea of Art College and just followed her heart – with a freedom of spirit that may have been stifled.

Allison often thinks of a title for a painting and then starts the piece whereas most artists have an idea, do the painting and then the title comes last.  Working mainly in acrylic she does beautiful realism landscapes and birds and multi -media paintings that are soulful and emotive and tell a storey.

I was particularly impressed by a new direction in her art which shows  her evolution as an artist – I think definitely her best work to date.

Her beautiful home on the edge of Martinborough is surrounded by a developing garden which is her other passion.    The wooden structures framing the landscape in the rear of the property were all built by her and show the artistic eye for design.

Allison’s work is on display at the Village Café, on allison_hudson@yahoo.com and by appointment at her home, telephone 06 306 8466.

 Gay Reed