Mike Allison
Mike Allison was born in Whalley, Lancashire in 1970 and now works and resides in the West Midlands. He completed a BA Honours Degree in Fine Art at Winchester School of Art in 1992 and a Masters in Fine Art at De Montfort University in 2005.
Mike is a full time printmaker, specialising in wood engraving, linoprint and intaglio collagraph techniques.
In 2015, Mike began a printmaking project called 100 Views of Birmingham. The project was initially inspired by Hiroshige’s 100 views of Edo and Mike was attracted by the scale and professional commitment such a project would require of him! In some of Mike's prints, Hiroshige’s influence is evident in the choice of subject or use of composition but influences and ideas are also appropriated from other contemporary photographers, film-makers and printmakers.
Mike has also produced a series of Alphabet prints, loosely based upon the early French film director George Méliès - his most iconic image being the rocket landing into the moon/cake. Mike's set of prints uses elements from the films and draws upon the feelings they impart, often being combined and updated to match specific dreams, daydreams or events in the printmaker's own life.
