Alli Cragg - nurse and talented local artist
On meeting Alli Cragg you’re struck by her nervous smile and totally unassuming nature. These personal attributes are baffling when you learn about her artistic talents and the contribution she makes to society through her work.
Alli, 50, qualified as a nurse in 1999 and worked in a cardiac department for 13 years before moving to be a senior sister in discharge planning. She currently works at Mount Gould Hospital as an Infection Control Team Leader for Livewell Southwest, but was redeployed to front line duties when the pandemic hit the UK in March last year.
She doesn’t class her other nursing duties as ‘front line’ and is in awe and admiration of her fellow nurses who work on wards day in, day out. ‘During the pandemic people called nurses heroes, but nurses do this job every day. They’ve never not worked hard and in my eyes they have always been heroes,’ said Alli.
She found spending time with patients, while their loved ones and family members had to stay away, truly humbling. You could see the pain in her eyes when she talked about taking on a surrogate family member role, alongside that of her nursing duties. ‘I know I could never truly fill the role of someone’s daughter, or sister, but I could see how important it was to sit and hold a patient’s hand and read to them, while they were suffering from the awful effects of Covid.’
Alli lives with her husband and two kittens in Plympton, just ten doors down from her parents and the home she grew up in. It’s here where she admits to filling her time by making a mess!
As well as being a nurse, Alli Cragg is an accomplished artist – although this is something she will never admit. Her iconic seascapes are as mighty as their creator is modest. ‘I started painting in 2015 when my daughter left home. I was bereft and needed to do something to fill the void. I wanted to make a mess and have some fun, so I started playing with spray paints in my garage.
‘Then one day I was in a gallery in Tavistock and saw some paintings by Rozanne Bell. I loved them and wanted to know what she had used, so I got in touch with her. This is where it all began. I bought a starter pack of resin and went back into my garage to play.
‘I then took my first abstract creation, which I called “skinny dip”, back to the Tavistock Gallery to ask the owner, Rik, what he thought. To my surprise, he took it off my hands and asked me to paint seven more pictures for him to sell at an exhibition. This was truly terrifying as I couldn’t believe people would want my work!
‘However, I did my first exhibition in July 2019, and as days go, it was one of the best days of my life. I felt super special. For me that day wasn’t about my paintings, it was about how other people made me feel.’
For Alli, painting is both a challenge and a release. She describes skies and seas as her nemesis. ‘If it was easy, I wouldn’t paint them, but I like to prove I won’t be beaten and can often lose a whole day, or sometimes a weekend, on a single painting. I think I create my best art when I have had a tough week at work. It’s almost a mental release for me.
‘My husband Kevin, plays a really important role in my art, as well as my life. I have made my fair share of mud, as I call it, and he puts up with my painting paraphernalia being strewn all over the kitchen.
‘Not every painting works out at the first attempt, and the skill is in knowing when to stop for the day and when to go back and try again. Kevin is great at telling me when to step away and leave something I am battling with. He also grounds me when I’m getting cocky, so he’s perfect really.’
This year Alli is hoping to finish her home studio, delayed as a result of the pandemic and a couple of building hiccups.
‘I’m looking forward to having a dedicated mess making space, away from the mischievous glances of my two kittens. I really want to create more pieces this year and maybe have another exhibition at the Tavistock Gallery, so I have the chance to feel super special again.’
By Emma Taynton-Young