Poketo Interview with Alyson Fox: From ‘Intro to Art’ to a Life in Art

Alyson Fox designed a really cool LPP wallet for us. She shares with us about how she became introduced to the world of art and also gives us a glimpse into her home!

Hi Alyson! You do a variety of projects ranging from photography, drawing, fashion design, and many more. How did you get started doing art?

I was a nutrition and fitness major when I first started college and at the end of my second year I took an intro to art class and the rest is history. I got a degree in Photography and then went on to get a MFA with a focus on everything really. I did not limit myself to one focus in grad school. I did mostly sculpture for my thesis show, but while in school I used whatever medium felt right for what ideas I was exploring. Since leaving school I have mostly been doing drawings due to the lack of studio space but have completely fallen in love with the intimacy of it. Currently I am incorporating my drawings with small sculptures which have been really fun to explore for me as well as working on some photography series.

What is your favorite medium to work with?

As far as my favorite medium I can’t just pick one. When I am making drawings and I see a really great photograph I miss photography and vise versa. They are all my favorites at different times.

There have been people raving about your home in Austin, and for good reason too! Can you give us a peak into your house? What’s your favorite room?

Thank you so much for liking our home. My husband and I bought it a little over 3 years ago and each year we make adjustments to it with his talented family. We just got done with redoing the bathroom and kitchen and some landscaping is next.

Where do you spend most of your time? And most importantly, will you ever invite us over for coffee?

I would have to say that our kitchen is my favorite room right now. Although all of our spaces really bleed together and don’t feel like designated rooms to me. I probably spend most of my time in the back open space of our house where my desk is. But I always coast into the kitchen for snacks, puppy treats and making dinner. And sometime just to dance around and be goofy. I would definitely have you all over for some Tea and snacks.

The design you did for the Poketo wallet seems to incorporate many passing fancies. The picture has a lot of simple and quiet things like hand shadow puppets, small doodles, origami birds, etc., which everyone has probably made as a kid, or even now. Why did you choose this design and what does it mean to you?

I think most of my personal fine art is a little more on the alarming side so I decided to use some of my softer doodles,designs and fashion illustrations for the poketo wallet. I thought it would feel a little more approachable for a purse or back pocket. For me the design is soft, playful and goes back to childhood memories. Memories is something I explore in all of my work.

Do you have any nicknames?

Aly by some of my friends and family and babe from my husband.

Can you tell us about A Small Collection?

I wanted to start a design side to my art that was open ended,a small collection of different things that I fancied or wanted to try and make. Hence the name A Small Collection. My first 2 collections were eco friendly clothing where I was able to combine a lot of my passions into one project( photography, video, drawing, fashion) and now I am working on some metal jewelry pieces that work off of my new sculptures to make some jewelry with. I have a feeling it will always be changing, but as of right now no clothing for A Small Collection.