Who I am & What I Do
Hi, I'm Alison
Hi! I'm Alison. Coffee drinker, garden lover, textile junkie, soccer addict, butterfly fanatic. In fact, it's this fascination with butterflies that led me to the name Eyespot Designs --
'eye spots' are markings on the wings of some butterflies (and moths) which confuse or startle predators that are not fooled by camouflage. I love experimenting with materials and methods, so you'll find I don't stick to one medium in my work, though my interest in nature, colour and pattern is evident throughout. I hope this method to my madness intrigues you!
Alison Syer was a Visual Arts major at Cawthra Park Secondary School, graduating in 2001. From there, she attended two years of university study in Environmental and Resource Management. As interesting as this was, she missed artistic endeavours, and so in 2005, she took two sessions of Acrylics painting classes at Springbank Arts Centre, and also participated in her first group exhibition with the White Oaks Art Group, held at Riverwood, the home of Visual Arts Mississauga.
She attended Sheridan College, and successfully completed the Art Fundamentals (Illustration) Ontario College Certificate program in 2007, then graduated, with Honours, from the three-year Crafts and Design program in 2010, having earned an Advanced Diploma of Applied Arts, with a studio concentration in textiles. In 2013, she received an honourable mention (Textiles) at the Mississauga Arts Council's MARTY Awards. Her special projects include the strawberry farming themed design for one of the Mississauga Arts Council “Banners and Boxes” vinyl-wrapped utility boxes and accompanying banners. Her book, Drawn In: An Illustrated Garden Tour was published in 2022.
Syer is a member of Arts on the Credit, Etobicoke Quilter's Guild, Visual Arts Mississauga, and Mississauga Arts Council. She now has work in several international private collections.