Meet Alison Bozarth | Artist & Story Teller

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alison Bozarth and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alison, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
When I was still in school, I used to say that English was my second language. I’ve always struggled to communicate with others; to get across the meaning I felt using words felt tiresome and limiting and always ended with miscommunication. Art has always been my first language. I wouldn’t say I’m art fluent, but its always been easier for me to connect to people and concepts using it. People used to tell me I wouldn’t be able to draw my way through life though, and so I worked hard to adapt to a world where my primary language became secondary. I went to college for art because it felt right, but all throughout and then after too I found myself working service jobs or retail. I was stuck between two worlds; one where I could say what needed to be said with paint and pencil, and another where my alter ego delivered food or checked customers out. At the beginning of the pandemic, a lot of people lost their jobs as isolation changed the way we all lived drastically. I’d say I lost mine too, though it wouldn’t be completely honest. The reality is, I was freed from the real and able to finally dedicate myself to the one thing that had always made sense to me. I took the opportunity to become my own boss. My company, Freckled Illustrations, might have existed before that point, but the moment where so much stopped making sense to the world was the moment that it became my career and everything finally started making sense to me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I named my company Freckled Illustrations because it spoke to the random and chaotic nature of my work. Before the pandemic started, I really didn’t have a focus. I’d have striking black ink on white paper depictions of the demons we all struggle with like anthropomorphized personifications of anxiety or depression on one hand, political cartoons depicting the horrors of gun violence in schools on another, and then start dabbling with something completely contrary to the mood I was establishing like a gleeful personification of the zodiac or colorful depictions of giant animals living in tandem with small silhouettes of people hiding in plain sight. The one thing that tied them all together was my love of small details hidden within my pieces. I’ve always loved to work on detail-oriented art that a viewer could look at for hours and continuously notice new small touches. My work always tells a story, rather in an individual piece or across long extended series. People have told my looking at my work is like reading a “Where’s Waldo” book; infinitely engrossing to the viewer as they search for the Easter Eggs they know they must have missed after finding the first dozen.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m most in my element in nature or while surrounded by exotic sights and whimsy. As a result, a lot of the places I’d recommend might seem like generic picks but to me, there really isn’t much that beats them. I love the Saint Louis Zoo. I sit there often and sketch animals for my Giant Series. I could not in good conscience recommend to anyone that they visit the area without visiting it and its ilk; the Botanical Garden, Butterfly House, and the like are all pillars of natural beauty in an urban environment. For whimsical wonder, the City Museum is really quite an amazing creative monument to fun. I loved it as a kid and still love the zany energy that fills the place. For food, Oceano Bistro in downtown Clayton has fantastic atmosphere and eats while Gobble Stop in Creve Coeur has the best darn wings. My favorite spot though is one that tourists probably would find counterintuitive to a recommendation; a little spot in the middle of the city where you can look up and just see the stars without light pollution.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Webster University Carol Hodson and Igor Karash Renau and Vernon Bozarth my parents
Adam Martz my husband
Soulard Art Gallery

Website: https://alisonbozarthart.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freckledillustrations/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreckledIllustration