Ali was born in Mt. Vernon, New York on April 3, 1949. She grew up
there and New Jersey, knowing from a very young age she had an
artistic gift. She received her first art lessons at the age of 7,
first set of oils at 11, and was placed in adult oil painting classes
while still in 7th grade. From her freshman year in high school, she
took charge of set design on school and community plays, working with
professional New York City lighting and choreography people, who
encouraged her to enter the world of set design as a career. She never
did, but the experience of 'working big' led to the
adventure of muralling. Oil on canvas has always been her first love;
she now has over 40 years with that medium. In 1993 she launched
Consciousness Cards, featuring paintings of angels, animals, sea &
landscapes & children, a body of work compiled over 10 years. Her
cards have reached around the globe, with images and messages
encouraging awareness of love, our planet, ourselves and one another.
She has written verse and/or story for each image. These images are
also available in book form.
In her teens & twenties Ali
studied privately with accomplished artists and took many courses. Her
favorite form of art study has always been spending endless hours in
art museums. Being an adventuress, she was lured by travel, and at 19,
found herself in Acapulco, Mexico, where she awoke to her first
passionate inspiration and vision for painting. That passion was
Mexico itself; the people, agriculture, rural life and activities. For
Ali, art is passion. it is spirituality in its deepest sense; a
connecting with the universal creative energy. There must be
passion...for life, for love, for creativity!. For her they all melt
together and become one!
Today Ali embarks on new projects,
including a new series of oil on canvas, murals, hand -painted French
roof tiles, encaustics, and artistic contributions to local charities
when called upon. She paints every day at her Carmel Studio in her
home shared with retired husband, Al McDaniel, whose career as a test
pilot, having flown for the legendary Howard Hughes himself, is an
inspiration!
"Ali's work has been featured in
galleries across the US and in Mexico for over 25 years. It has
appeared on book, CD, and magazine covers, in private and corporate
collections, in group and one-woman shows, as well as juried events,
including The Laguna Beach Festival of Art, 1985 and '86., NY Art Expo
in 1991 and Art Expo Cal at the LA Convention Center in 1989. She was
selected for the Foreign Friends of Acapulco International Art Exhibit
in 1972 from among thousands of applicants. Her work was the first
sold on opening evening."
Gallery affiliations
include:
Richard Thomas - Gallery Carmel, CA -
current
Galeria Uno - Puerto Vallarta - 1984 to the present
Agnisiuh Gallery - Sedona, AZ - 1992-1994
Galerie Adrienne - San Francisco - 1995-1997
Thomas Charles Gallery - Ceasar's Palace, Las Vegas - 1992-1993
Knowles Gallery - La Jolla, CA - 1978-1989
Zantman Galleries - Carmel and Palm Desert, CA - 1982-1984
State of the Art - Laguna Beach, CA - 1985-1987
