There were roughly two dozen people in the room when we walked in. Some were standing together and mingling, some were standing pensively in front of the art, and a few were gathered around the complimentary food. It was nice seeing some friendly faces - some I knew from school, and some that were other artist friends of Sara's. Once we got our greetings finised and plates of delicious snack plates, we moved to an open corner displaying the art, and worked our way clockwise around the room. 

I am quite fond of art, but sometimes I can be particular with my tastes (as is Sara, since she is an artist herself). I tend to prefer vibrancy, and something that makes you think. I don't like art that is subtle; I gravitate towards what will truly capture your eye. In my complete honesty, her work does exactly that. With a bold, mixed jewel-toned color scheme, her pieces really brought the characters to life. There was a very evident theme beyond the circus setting: it was many women, vintage women, depicted romantically and sensually. My personal favorite piece was the one in the second row, far right grid in the assortment displayed above. The contrast against the striped backgrounds, and lack of faces in the frame, makes the viewer wonder how they might be feeling. Are they friends about to embrace? Are they more than friends? The detail in this painting particularly caught my eye - the use of shading and color theory helps to create the look of texture on their stain corsets.

It was after standing in front of this painting for several minutes, just soaking it in, that I felt compelled to open the beautiful and vibrant brochures we picked up. I thought it cool and fun that she included a Spotify link to listen to the music that goes along with the vibe of the art. With some of the art from the walls pictured in the brochure, she explains that her series, "Idols of Adornment," is about love and performance. She explains that it is a very intimate look into the ways that humans seek vulnerability, connection, and acceptance. She described some of the art used different techniques - and although I didn't understand much of the terminology, I noticed she said some were made in one session, and others over the course of a few weeks.

The pamphlet also explains that Allyson is based in Atlanta, having graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelor's in Arts and a concentration in painting & drawing. With other specializations, her art focuses are centered around femininity and performance. I walked through the rest of the gallery in awe of the love and devotion she put into her craft, relishing being a space with others that could appreciate her work. We stayed for an extra thirty minutes after viewing all the art to talk with others about what we were seeing, as well as made small talk with those we knew. While I didn't get another chance to talk to her before we left, I found her Instagram once we left, continuing to enjoy the work she creates.

If you are interested in seeing more of Allyson Cheshire's work on her Instagram, click here!