Allison Brouwer has been working in pencil, paint, and other materials since a very young age.  Her parents, both photographers, raised her with art as an important part of life.  She was always surrounded with books of painters and photographers, and was often taken to art museums.  Her parents owned a fine carpet store and she was influenced by the textures, patterns, and colors she saw there.

In high school, Allison took art as an elective every year.  Her art teacher exposed her to many different areas of art making including: painting, drawing, printmaking, representation/abstraction, and color theory.  She was encouraged by her high school teacher to pursue an art degree.  At De Anza Community College, she took courses in ceramics, painting, life drawing, and color theory.   She finished her Bachelors of Fine Art at San Jose State University with an emphasis on oil painting.  She also completed Minors in Biology and Chemistry.

Her work uses elements of collage in oil painting to create abstractions.  She also works with representation, and hopes to illuminate the beauty in everyday objects and people.  Both her abstractions and more representational work emphasize the use of color; something she has always been passionate about.  Color inspires her with its deep connection to emotion and atmosphere.  Her work is not so much about the subject matter, as it is about how the subject is depicted and how this feels to the audience.  For Allison, color is the most natural and intuitive way to communicate this.  In the future, Allison hopes to integrate her talents in art and science to make a meaningful contribution to others peoples’ well being.