Allan Williams

Allan Williams BA (Hons), MFA is a painter originally from Wales, who moved to Suffolk from London and works mainly in oils, acrylics and watercolour. He takes his inspiration from the natural beauty of his adopted county, in particular its eroding coastline and big skies. His series of paintings of Covehithe, among them Covehithe Erosion Zone 1, records the disappearing Suffolk coast.

His work is figurative and highly detailed, and often uses illusionism or trompe l'oeil effects. Some of his pictures could be called surreal, developing from chance arrangements of images or from forms created by blowing ink across a sheet of paper, with punning titles that reflect their deliberate visual ambiguity. Others are acutely observed renditions of nature, such as his paintings of Covehithe and Benacre. Alongside acrylics and oils on canvas and watercolour and acrylic on paper, he makes digital prints from computer-generated images, and reproduces many of his paintings as limited edition giclée prints.

Humour runs through much of the work, as in his beach hut series, which imagines the beach huts of famous artists such as Jackson Pollock. He has also painted sculptures for the Wild in Art sculpture trails, among them Elmer's Big Parade in Ipswich and Hares About Town in Southend.

Allan has exhibited widely in the UK and in Canada, where he gained his Master's degree in Fine Arts. He exhibits regularly at the Ferini Gallery in Pakefield, is a member of Suffolk Open Studios and the Ipswich Art Society, and takes commissions for portraits of people, places and pets.

He believes passionately in the healing power of the creative arts. He has worked with the voluntary sector for over 30 years as a trainer and workshop leader, devising and delivering creative workshops for vulnerable adults and children, and works with Wellbeing Suffolk and as a programme leader for the Ipswich-based charity Inside Out Community.