Alison Mountain studied art as an undergraduate in Leeds and as a post graduate in painting at the Slade School of Art in London. More recently she attended Duncan of Jordanstone in Dundee, again as an undergraduate and post graduate, this time in illustration and printmaking.

In 2010 she set up a textile school in Newburgh Fife with textile artist Jeanette Sendler. The school ran until 2020 when Covid-19 forced closure. During these years she expanded her repertoire to include various textile based techniques, drawing on her knowledge of colour and form.

She also became interested in ‘creativity for all’ and worked extensively in schools and colleges introducing sketchbooks to the curriculum. She co-authored a book ‘Think Inside the Sketchbook’ with Dave Hulston and Gillian Robinson. She enjoys freely crossing the boundaries between media and combining techniques.