A Hindhead artist has been shortlisted for the Surrey Artist of the Year Awards.

Alison Hunt has been painting her whole life, but in the last ten years, she has decided to take her art more seriously. And it has clearly paid off, because the public have been voting and she’s on her way to being Surrey Artist of the Year.

The winner of the awards will receive a £1,000 bursary to go towards a solo exhibition at the New Ashgate Gallery.

“It feels great to get recognition,” said Alison. “It is nice to know that what you are doing when you are hiding away in the studio is having an impact. To win would be absolutely fantastic, so fingers crossed!”

Hidden away in her idyllic garden studio, Alison creates abstract paintings inspired by her walks through places like Hankley, Frensham, and the Devil’s Punchbowl.

Alison’s paintings are not planned but instinctively develop as she builds up layers of acrylic glazes and inks on a prepared textural surface. Working from black and white photographs that she takes on her journeys, Alison uses the sculptural lines of the landscape as a starting point and then lets the flow of the paint take hold.

“It would be impossible to name my paintings after specific places, as they can all blur together in my work. It is more about the feeling than the place.”

The winner will be decided by in-person voting at the Ashgate Gallery, where the shortlisted artists will display their work until October 25.