The Artists: Alice Straker

Alice Straker is a Herefordshire-based Artist whose work focuses on the subject of food and flowers. Alice’s style combines her understanding of Art History and colour theory with her family’s passion for cooking and the countryside. Her twin brother is a chef, and her studio resides above her mother’s kitchen garden which is brimming with inspiration. She is largely self-taught but has met some influential artists along the way who have helped shape her career and stylistic tendencies. Alice works with a range of mediums and tools; including acrylic, oils, pastels, palette knives and brushes, to create extremely original paintings. Her work is denoted by delicious three dimensional textures, luxurious brushstrokes and a vibrant colour palette. Her work is highly commercial and collectable and she has paintings hung in houses globally. 

In the ‘Art You’d Like To Eat’ exhibition in 2020, Alice explored the food she dreamed of during lockdown.  It coincided with World Mental Health Day and 15% of sales were donated to mental health charity The Charlie Waller Trust.  It was Alice’s own battle with anxiety, and a breakdown in 2016, which led her to start painting full time.  This proved a ray of light that carried her through some dark times, developing into a passion that has become a career. In ‘Art You’d Like To Eat’, she was keen to bring to light the difficulties the pandemic had on our mental states, but also the hope and pleasure that art can bring.