The search for balance is fundamental in the art of Alayne Spafford.  The challenge in her work is to reconcile a natural tendency to organize and polish with a strong desire to reject those principles in favour of chaos and disorder.  Evidence of this can be seen in both the process and finished product of her work. Although the initial foundation of base colour is applied rather spontaneously and with limited self-censorship, the subsequent layering of colour clearly demonstrates a strong influence of the conscious mind.  During this process shapes and marks are added and manipulated in order to build a complex yet intuitive order. As such, the artist’s work mirrors her internal struggle to find balance between the opposing but complementary aspects of her nature.

 

     Alayne Spafford received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with honours from the University of Saskatchewan.  After studying textiles at Concordia University and the Centre de Metier d’Art en Construction Textile in Montreal, she worked for many years in the costume department of Cirque du Soleil.  Now residing in Edmonton, Alberta, Alayne focuses on painting full time. In 2013 Alayne collaborated to form Burn Design Collective, an art technique created with shou-sugi-ban (burnt cedar). Her work is represented in galleries and private collections worldwide.