Allie was born and raised in Centerville, Utah where she grew up watching her dad, Michael Hadley paint and sell his work in Jackson, WY. Many family vacations were spent driving to Jackson Hole where the smell of oil paint and wool blankets filled the air as her family followed the Snake River west. This played a large role in motivating Allie to pursue art at an early age. Allie received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Brigham Young University and studied a few years back under nationally recognized artists: Jill Carver, G. Russell Case and Kathryn Stats in Sun Valley, Idaho. “Learning from these seasoned artists in a plein air setting was inspiring. My ability to see the outdoors and deconstruct its critical elements to formulate a well-planned painting increased tenfold." Since then Allie's participated in several plein air competitions and won several national awards. In 2018 she received an Honorable Mention from the Oil Painters of America (OPA) in their Fall Online Showcase and an Award of Merit from the American Women Artists (AWA) in their Spring Online Showcase. She was unanimously awarded Best In Show at the 2017 Driggs Diggs Plein Air event by nationally recognized artists Aaron Schuerr and Jim Wilcox. She also received first place for the Eagle Plein Air Festival Quick Draw event winning two consecutive years in a row (2016 and 2017). On an every day occasion, Allie can be spotted painting the pastoral landscape in and around the Treasure Valley. “The richness of painting from life, whether in the studio or outdoors, is where I find myself as an artist.” Allie currently resides with her husband and young children in Meridian, ID. ALLIE IS A MEMBER OF THE OPA, AIS AND AWA MY STORY I always knew I wanted to be an artist. When I was a little girl I remember standing in my nightgown, long past my bedtime, watching my Dad mix blue greys for his painting of the Tetons. I knew in that childhood moment, as my bare feet soaked into the carpet, I wanted to paint. From there, squiggle doodles matured to figure drawings, oil painting classes and a BFA from Brigham Young University. After graduation, I put art in my back pocket. Working full-time to support my husband while he attended law school and start a family took its rightful place and precedence in life. I remember in those quiet moments when one or all of our children napped I should go pick up my paint brush, but instead, I picked up one more piece of laundry to fold. The days were long and tiresome. Soon we were expecting our third child when things dramatically changed. Our baby was still born at 34 weeks. Through the grief, pain and sorrow I realized I needed something back in my life that was missing. It was art. I now paint because I find balance in art. In taking care of our young children and busy home, painting provides a tranquil reprieve; it lightens my mind and helps me approach daily life with more joy. Now there is more laundry to fold than ever, more dishes to clean than ever, and I am painting more than ever. Somehow at the end of the day it all fits. I hope my work offers you and your home beauty in the way that fine art enriches, deepens, and expands any environment. Allie