Published on 1st October 2025

Alison Ingram is renowned for her abstract paintings of British wildlife. Much of her output has focused on mammals, but more recently, Alison’s passion for swifts has inspired a new direction. AAH met the artist at her home studio to find out more…

NATURAL FLAIR

Living on the fringes of Warnham Deer Park, it’s no surprise that wildlife dominates Alison’s creative output. She has painted the park’s red deer on several occasions, with one of her most striking works, Stag and Swallows, being inspired by a David Schaefer sculpture of a rearing stag. Other mammals featured in Alison’s work include brown hares, roe deer, badgers, red squirrels and foxes. She also paints a lot of birds, portraying everything from bullfinches, waxwings and kingfishers to red kites, mute swans and grey herons. Some of the animals she paints are occasional visitors to her garden or surrounding fields, but when it comes to other species, Alison travels further afield to inform her art. 

She said: ‘My puffin paintings have always proved very popular and I have depicted them exhibiting their natural behaviour, flying, swimming and nesting. When it comes to painting deer, hares and birds, I’m inspired by rural landscapes. So, I love visiting places like Skomer, an island on the Pembrokeshire coast which is renowned for its puffin colony. This helps me to understand the birds and capture both their physical features and movement.’ 

EXPRESS YOURSELF

While there are countless artists creating work inspired by wildlife, Alison’s work stands out thanks to its abstract forms. If her early work took inspiration from expressionists such as Mark Franz, Alison has since evolved a unique style, blending technical elements of graphic design with a distinctive colour palette.  

‘Originally, I wanted to work in a more abstract and vague style, largely concealing the focal point of the art,’ says Alison. ‘You had to really look for wildlife within the textures and colours. I also tried to adopt more of a freestyle method, but it didn’t suit me. The process felt forced, so I moved towards a tighter style more akin to graphic design, using an abstract background to enhance a more representative depiction of wildlife.’ 

A NEW DAWN

In stark contrast to a finished work, Alison begins each piece with a rough sketch and light acrylic underpainting, gradually adding layers to make it increasingly more abstract and fragmented. It is through this process that she creates movement, a skill that she has evolved and refined with time.

Alison said: ‘I find the blending and positioning of colours very interesting, as this is what creates the shadow and light that gives a painting a sense of movement. I don’t follow a particular theory to achieve this; it’s just something I do intuitively. The colour palette I adopt is distinctive too. Traditionally, my work has prominently featured blues, greens and purples, and for a long time I felt comfortable working with a limited palette. Then, I was commissioned to paint a starling murmuration over Brighton Pier at sunset, which required blends of red, pink and orange. I found this very challenging, but really enjoyed it!’ 

COVER STORY

Much of Alison’s recent output focuses on swifts and other migratory birds, such as house martins and swallows. Some paintings depict swifts over local landmarks, including St Margaret’s Church in Warnham, while another captures Swifts over Broomlands Farm, near Alison’s home. This painting (on previous page) won the People’s Choice Award at the Association of Sussex Artists’ annual exhibition in Horsham in 2024.  

Alison said: ‘About 10 years ago, swifts started to nest in the roof of the farmhouse next door and I watched them from my studio. I was fascinated by them and would look forward to their arrival every summer. Swifts are on the UK’s red list of Birds of Conservation Concern, so it’s important we do everything we can to preserve them and their nest sites. Many share my passion for the birds, so I have received several commissions for swift paintings. One piece, Swifts and Swallows, featured on the cover of Charlie Bingham’s book, The Life Affirming Magic of Birds, while another was used for the cover to Mark Cocker’s book, One Midsummer’s Day. It has been nice for me to be involved in something different, even attending book signings alongside the authors.’ 

SWIFT JUSTICE

As well as painting migratory birds, Alison looks after them too, as a volunteer for Swift Conservation and House Martin Conservation UK & Ireland. Alison takes in birds that have been found or rescued, often emaciated having fledged too soon. Following strict protocols, she rehydrates the birds and feeds them a diet of insects until they can be released back into the wild. 

Alison said: ‘I approached Swift Conservation and they put me in touch with Kasia Szczypa from Reigate for training. Kasia is currently the main swift carer at Wildlife Aid Foundation in Leatherhead and has many years of experience with migratory birds with contacts in European swift clinics. Swifts spend their whole life on the wing, other than to nest, so if one is found on the ground, it needs help. As the care that migratory birds require is challenging and very time-consuming, most wildlife centres either have a designated carer or forward enquiries to specialist organisations, such as Swift Conservation, who have a network of swift carers across the country. All swifts that come into my care are checked by Karen Robinson, clinical director of Farthings Veterinary Group. 

‘When they are ready, I release the birds into the deer park, which is always a nice moment. Each year is busier than the last with more swifts in need of care. From an artist’s perspective, it’s a good way for me to get close to swifts and understand them, giving me reference points for my paintings.’  

ART FOR ALL

Alison is a regular exhibitor at Global Birdfair, an event held annually at Rutland and described as “Glastonbury for birders”. Alison has sold paintings and received commissions at the event. She also exhibited work for The Brighton & Hove Artists Open Houses this year and in October will be showcasing recent work at the Association of Sussex Artists’ (ASA) annual exhibition at Camelia Botnar Garden Centre, Littleworth.  

This September, Alison will also embark on a week-long residency at the Nature in Art Museum and Gallery, Gloucestershire. As ever, she will be exhibiting paintings of all sizes, to appeal to all budgets. Alison said: ‘I work on a range of canvas sizes, as many people don’t have the money or the wall space for larger paintings. Big paintings are statement pieces for exhibitions, but are time-consuming. Swifts Over Broomlands Farm represents several months’ work over a two-year period, as I tend to work on six or seven paintings at a time due to the drying process between layers. So, I offer smaller and more affordable paintings too, perhaps depicting a single bird or animal.’

‘Although I’m fortunate to receive a good number of enquiries and commissions, it’s still very hard to make a living as an artist. It was probably a silly career choice! But I’m one of the fortunate ones, in that I at least get to paint the animals that I love, be it puffins and penguins or swifts and swallows.’ 

WORDS: Ben Morris / PHOTOS: Alan Wright  

Further information: For a gallery of Alison’s work or to find out more about Swift Conservation, visit www.alisoningram.co.uk and www.swift-conservation.org