About
Allison Egli
Contemporary Art
Bio
I am an artist. It's taken me a long time to stake claim to that identifier. Even when other people use that to describe me I feel quick to correct them. But I am an artist. The first thing I created was in 2nd or 3rd grade. It was in an after school program where we made our own art portfolio out of large construction paper. After we were taught how to fold it properly we could then draw whatever we wanted on the front. I drew an octopus. The group was impressed by my drawing. I felt seen, valued and proud. I wanted to hold on to that feeling.
As a painfully shy and quiet child art was a safe place to process my feelings and life experiences. Through out my life being creative has been a life line. During different seasons of life this has looked differently depending on my time and space. I have had seasons of making functional art out of wood such as tables, shelving, bed frames, etc. But no matter what season I'm in I continue to journal and draw. I deeply believe in the healing power of art in a world that often feels hard and confusing.
Honesty in art is essential and I try to allow myself to be vulnerable in that way. So there are days when I need to draw mushrooms and butterflies. And days when I need to grapple with the deep unjustness of life. A miscarriage. A shooting in our neighborhood. A sick parent. Death. In all of it I try to humbly ask God why, knowing that there may not be an answer. And to live in the tension of paradoxical emotions and life experiences.
I live in Philadelphia. I've lived here for 20 years with my husband and two kids. I've had great art teachers as a child and have taken classes on/off over the years at great institutions such as University of the Arts, Moore College of Art and Design and Fleisher Art Memorial. I'm currently in a season of life that is allowing more time for painting and creating on a bigger scale. I'm very proud of my most recent painting 'Hope'. I want to lean into hope and trust that it will not disappoint.
Thank you for visiting my art.
