Ali Cavanaugh

Artist Statement

My fascination with the dichotomy of the seen and unseen has been a conceptual cornerstone for most of my career as a figurative artist. I am moved to portray the human figure in two aspects: body and soul. The image of a young female figure reaches into a part of my experience that contains infinite ideas and images. It's in the moment of hesitation when one moves into the interior space of thought that I find my inspiration. I'm constantly in a state of awareness about the world taking in the imagery, colors, and patterns that to my eye are compositions of settings and people. This keeps my perception enriched by each and every moment. I believe that every situation in life has potential as a great work of art.

My intention in painting is to exemplify the human condition through the lens of my art. I strive to paint not only the delicate features of the external person but to capture the tender unseen presence that transcends understanding in the depth of a soul. The mystery of existence is profound. My hope is that in these works depicting the complexity within thought and emotion, people might find inspiration to look at one another in new ways and grow in sincere appreciation for each other. 

Bio

Ali Cavanaugh was born in St. Louis in 1973 and has worked as a professional artist for 15 years. Her compositions are strong and intuitive, thanks not only to being a wife and mother but also to the variations in her experience-such as hearing loss-that made her adapt to and recreate the world around her.

Cavanaugh developed a process best described as neo fresco secco, where she applies watercolor to plaster panels; her figures often are accentuated by stark white negative spaces. Fascinated by the dichotomy of the seen and unseen in the human condition...body and soul...Cavanaugh's art brings to light the complexity within contemplation. Her signature poetic titles are part of this engaging discourse.

Cavanaugh was awarded the prestigious Presidential Scholarship from the David Wolcott Kendall Foundation, a four-year, full-tuition merit scholarship. This allowed her to study at Parsons School of Design in New York City and Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Cavanaugh earned a bfa with an emphasis in painting in 1995. In 1996, she co-founded the New School Academy of Fine Art in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Through the mid- to late 1990s, Cavanaugh established a vast following of students and collectors and became one of West Michigan's most sought after private instructors. In 2000, upon relocating to Santa Fe, New Mexico to establish her work in the town's world-renowned art scene, she also developed her watercolor technique.

She has had 40+ solo and group exhibitions in galleries throughout the U.S. Cavanaugh's art has been featured in publications such as New American Paintings no.88, American Art Collector (cover artist), American Artist Watercolor, Watercolor Artist magazine, Southwest Art magazine,  International Artist magazine, Art Calendar magazine (cover artist), and The Daniel Smith Art Supply Catalogue. Perhaps because of her work's infectious energy combined with deep reflection, her collectors are particularly devoted. Her work has received extensive recognition and is featured in more than 300 private and corporate collections throughout the U.S., Canada, England, Portugal, Switzerland, Singapore, and Australia. She now lives in the St. Louis area with her husband and three children.

Education:

1995     BFA, Kendall College of Art and Design, Grand Rapids, MI

1994     Parsons School of Design, New York City

Selected Exhibitions

2010   Small Works, GF Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM

           Holiday Exhibition/Gallery Artists, L Ross Gallery, Memphis, TN

           30 Year Anniversary Show, Wally Workman Gallery Austin, TX

           In a Moment of Unintended Pause, Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, TX (Solo Show)

           July Group Show, L Ross Gallery, Memphis, TN

           ACT Invitational, The Gallery at Round Top, Round Top, TX

           A Grand Affair, Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, TX

2009   Brilliance in the Lost Moment of Hesitation, L Ross Gallery, Memphis, TN (Solo Show)

           Brilliance in the Lost Moment of Hesitation, Merchant Street GAllery, Ste Geneveive, MO (Solo Show)

           Group Exhibit, GF Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM

           Miniatures 2009: Portraits, Daniel North Gallery, Cut Band, MT

           Black vs. White, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC

2008   Twelve, Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, TX

           Cinco, Bering and James Gallery, Houston, TX

           The Boat Show, Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, TX

           Red, Bering and James Gallery, Houston, TX

           Modest Minotaur, Bering and James Gallery, Houston, TX

2007   The Portrait, Bering and James Gallery, Houston, TX

           Alice in Wonderland, The Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, TX

           Red Hot Party, 707 Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM

2006   A Door Within a Girl, Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, TX (Solo Show)

           Red, Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, TX

2005   Inside the Everyday, Katrina Lasko Gallery, Bernalillo, NM (Solo Show)

           The Chair-ity Auction/Invitational, Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

2004   Collection of Painters, Katrina Lasko Gallery, Bernalillo, NM

2003   Sensual or Erotic, Katrina Lasko Gallery, Bernalillo, NM

           Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water, Katrina Lasko Gallery, Bernalillo, NM

2002   Real Places and Hidden Spaces, Katrina Lasko Gallery, Bernalillo, NM (Solo Show)

2000   Revelation of Resolution, Urban Institute of Contemporary Art, Grand Rapids, MI (Solo Show)

1998   Time and Movement, Franklin Riley Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI (Solo Show)

1997   Recent Paintings (The Voice of a Child), The New Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI

1995   New York Paintings, Kendall College of Art and Design, Gallery 104, Grand Rapids, MI (Solo Show)

Publications:

2010   American Art Collector (November)

           Artsee Magazine (November/December)

           New American Paintings No. 88

           573 Insider (September/October- Cover artist)

           Envoy Magazine (Volume 9.3)

           Charleston Contemporary Arts Examiner (January)

2009   ARTnews (October Issue editorial review, pgs. 134-135)

           American Art Collector (December-cover artist)

           Watercolor Artist (December- Delicate Dichotomies)

           The Memphis Flyer (Memphis, Carol Knowles-June)

           The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Bill Ellis-June)

2008   International Artist Magazine (Finalist in International Figurative Competition, December)

           American Artist (Watercolor featured artist, Fall Issue)

           Art Calendar Magazine (August-cover artist)

           Daniel Smith Catalogue (Full page feature in summer art supply catalog)

2006   Southwest Art Magazine (Artist to Watch-September)