Allison Hausladen is an artist based in the Chicago area. Through her art, she seeks to capture the feeling of a moment, a place, to better remember it.

“I’ve loved Impressionism all my life. As a child, I would pour over Cassatt, Degas, and Renoir books at night, smudging pastels across paper, dreaming I’d been a part of it. 

I was fortunate to have several art mentors while growing up in New Mexico: my high school art teacher; Jane Mahon, an extraordinary portraitist who taught me during a summer arts program; and Jan Terry, a palette knife painter who shared her technique with a few of us high school girls. The painting technique I use now—palette knife and paint brush—is a combination of what I learned from the three of them; the pastel has been experimentation since I was young, playing with sidewalk chalk. 

Through art, I capture the feeling of a moment, a place, the way you remember it and wish it would stay that way forever. I have always loved gardens—although the desert where I grew up is beautiful, I was drawn to purple coneflowers and Black-eyed Susans, things that were not native to the area. A pandemic move within the Midwest gave me the chance to have a large garden and learn about native plants and ecological restoration. I’ve been “painting” the landscape with real flowers and being endlessly inspired for making new artwork, spreading the wonder of nature to those needing a breath of fresh air.”

Interviews:

  • Kornecki, Lynne. “Grayslake, IL Artist Creates Detailed Impressionistic Art with An Eye on Inspiring Nature Conservation.” Art Beat Buzz, 5 Jan. 2025.

Recent & Upcoming Exhibitions:

  • “Members Exhibition,” January 21-February 13, 2025, opening reception January 24, 5-7:30pm, Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art, College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL

  • “Winter Art at Volo Bog State Natural Area: A Celebration of Winter with an Art Show and Silent Auction,” January 18-March 2, 2025.

  • “Adler Member Exhibition,” opening reception, January 17, 6-8pm, runs through February 22, 2025, Adler Art Center, Libertyville, IL

  • “Tiny Remnants,” opening reception November 23, 6-9pm for opening reception, runs through December 22, 2024, Blue Moon Gallery, Grayslake, IL

  • “Fall for Art,” October 11-November 1, 2024, Grayslake Arts Alliance, Positive Space Studios, Mundelein, IL

  • “Lure of the Local 3 - Color Wheel” an annual, curated exhibition featuring 51 local artists asked to consider themselves in relation to color, September 13-November 10, 2024, Mundelein Arts Commission, Mundelein, IL

  • “Motherload,” an invitational exhibit featuring 20 local artist moms displaying their perspective of motherhood through art, May 10-May 31, 2024, Positive Space Studios, Mundelein, IL

  • “All Seasons in Bloom” Invitational Exhibit, May 3-27, 2024, Antioch Fine Arts Foundation Art Center, Antioch, IL

  • “MayFest,” Grayslake Arts Alliance, Grayslake Heritage Center and Museum, May 4, 2024, Grayslake, IL

  • “Pouring over Pages,” Grayslake Arts Alliance pop-up art show and Grayslake Library Foundation fundraiser March 9, 2024, Grayslake Public Library, Grayslake, IL

  • “5th Annual Blue Moon Gallery Juried Exhibition: It’s For the Birds,” March 23-April 14, 2024, Blue Moon Gallery, Grayslake, IL

  • “Year 11,” March 1-31, 2024, Side Street Studio Arts, Elgin, IL

  • “4th Annual Blue Moon Gallery Juried Exhibition: It’s Not All Black & White,” Honorable Mention, March 25-April 16, 2023, Blue Moon Gallery, Grayslake, IL

Education:

BA Studio Art & Economics, Lake Forest College
MLIS, Rutgers University

Media:

Painting
Drawing
Printmaking