ABOUT THE ARTIST
ALICE PRUITT
Welcome to Alice Pruitt Studios. I hope you enjoy viewing my collection of works as much as I have enjoyed creating them. I would like to tell you a little about myself and what inspires me.
I was born and raised in the river parishes near New Orleans. I quickly developed a love of drawing and architecture. My early childhood was spent near the beautiful plantations along the Mississippi River. In later years I became fascinated with the architecture of the French Quarter and the South in general including a love for the rural architecture of old homes, barns and outbuildings.
I studied architecture at Tulane University then switched my major to Art Education at the University of Georgia after moving to Athens. After spending years teaching art in public and private schools, I decided to pursue my passion for drawing and began to work on commissioned house and pet portraits.
While the majority of my formal art training and experience was in drawing, the commissioned works led to experimenting with watercolor, acrylic and pastels. I have spent time studying color theory and painting techniques in order to make the transition to painting. I have attended workshops with several artists in the US and France and I continue to study the work of other artists and to experiment with techniques.
I prefer to paint subjects from personal experiences and places I’ve visited. I work from photos taken by myself or family members, only relying on outside sources for details that may be unclear. I spend a great deal of time studying my subjects which is evident in the detail shown in my paintings. As a change from the tedious work involved in painting details, I enjoy painting with other artists in a plein air group. This gives me the freedom to paint quickly and capture the essential elements of color and light.
I am a member of the Athens Art Association where I served as president for several years and also a member of the Athens Area Arts Council and the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation. My work can be found in books including “Under the Magnolias” and the “Athens Area Sketchbook”. My work is also in the permanent collection at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education. I am one of four artists whose work was selected for the 2011 Art In The Air project which displayed a painting on a billboard in the Athens Georgia area. I also have numerous pet portraits that were used on the set of the 2017 movie "Father Figures". My painting "Cruickshank Lane" was featured on the cover of the 2018 Keys Culture magazine.