impson, a tango aficionado, burst on to the book art scene in 1992 with her colorful and romantic homage to ballroom and a stylized and unique voice Bringing a lifetime of experience drawing and painting the figure, the hand painted artist books like DIRTY DANCING, SWING and TANGO BAR dance to their own distinctive beat

After more than a dozen years creating one of a kind Artist Books, in 2002, Simpson literally dreamed of working in clay and awoke to that new direction, sculpting dancers and a series of funky Folk Artworks from the HIP HOP scene She has redefined rapsters with their idiosyncratic manners, costumes and gestures into personifications of the Greek myth and archetypes for the Gods and Goddesses

As the antithesis to a career spent catering to fashion and cosmetic clientele, Simpson's recent works, both books and clay, lead her to pursue themes such as ABUNDANT BEAUTY, a 2006 series of clay portraits inspired by Circus Fat Lady memorabilia She searches for something darker, less conventional -- even outrageous, by questioning ideas of acceptable beauty

"My themes will continue to masquerade in the guise of theater and performance.
Within this realm, I expect to challenge the norms of acceptance and comfort."

Alice Simpson
2007