Interview with an Artist: Allie Mount
The closest way we can understand what this world is about is through our attempts in both art and science to seek truth.
Based in Atascadero, California, Allie Mount's practice often combines found natural objects with manmade materials arranged to be photographed or constructed into wall sculptures. Her forms and approach focus on the relationship between what is composed by hand and what has organically been shaped by nature. Her recent show, Presentations, was on view at Cruise Control Contemporary in Cambria, CA.
Emily Logan: Please describe your art practice.
Allie Mount: My work is grounded in the simple act of being in the world—observing, feeling, and recognizing the beauty around me. Everything I experience feeds into what I eventually create.
In the studio, I allow myself the freedom to respond to what’s on my mind, what I’ve been carrying with me—whether that’s the movement I feel in my body or the stillness I find in nature.
My process is spontaneous. I engage with materials, sometimes with humor, sometimes with vulnerability. It’s a way for me to channel what it feels like to be in this body, in this world, in this moment.
EL: What motivates you to begin creating a new sculpture?
AM: I keep a regular practice of being in the studio, which means I’m always surrounded by items I’ve collected over time—objects that spark curiosity and inspiration. The initial motivation comes from giving myself the freedom to explore without pressure to create a finished product. Instead, it’s about responding to the materials and allowing the process to unfold naturally.
As I work, a conversation emerges between the materials and myself. I begin to recognize how they want to be positioned, composed, and altered. Gradually, the work begins to take shape, and I start to see what I’m creating as a sculpture.
I’m constantly inspired by the beauty I observe in the world and feel compelled to respond to it. This could be anything—from intricate patterns in nature or even the quiet moments of daily life. Sculpture is a way for me to have a dialogue with that beauty, to reflect it back in a tangible form.
The world at its smallest scale behaves so differently from what we experience in our everyday lives. I think about the way particles move, how things can exist in multiple states at once, or how forces interact in ways we can’t always see. These ideas make me think about the impermanence and interconnectedness of everything, which I find inspiring when it comes to creating sculpture.
The fluidity, the unpredictability, the constant shift in states—these concepts resonate with how I approach materials in the studio. I’m not always in control, and there’s beauty in that uncertainty. It's like I’m creating something physical out of a world that's not always as solid or predictable as we might think.
EL: Historically you were a photographer, when did you begin exploring sculpture as a medium within your art practice? Why sculpture?
AM: I was photographing still lifes I created from found and natural objects, which led me to move into sculpture. Initially, the impermanence of the compositions was part of the joy of the process: I would collect items that sat in harmony together, photograph them, and then break down the components back to their individual elements. Soon, the physicality of the process began to work its way into more and more of my art. I found inspiration in the tactile and how touch and feel could inform my expression.
In photography, I was engaged with form, light, and composition, and in sculpture, I can engage with all of that plus the element of space. Sculpture allows me to give materiality to the ideas and feelings I was already exploring in my photography.
I find that making sculptures allows me to be fully in the moment, to feel the materials, and to respond to the process in ways that are immediate and intuitive. I’m expanding the conversation I was already having with the world around me but in a new language.
EL: How does the work in Presentations reflect our consciousness?
AM: In Presentations, the work is about consciousness and the power of observation. To me, the closest way we can understand what this world is about is through our attempts in both art and science to seek truth. Both disciplines, in their own ways, are engaged in uncovering the nature of existence, and they often share a common goal: understanding reality.
One of the fascinating things we know from science is that existence itself is dependent on the observer. The world, as we experience it, only exists because we are conscious of it. This idea—that consciousness is the lens through which we perceive the world—drives the core of Presentations. The work reflects this relationship between the observer and what is observed.
I want to emphasize the quiet power in simply being a witness. In Presentations, I explore how the act of seeing—of truly observing—can be a transformative experience in itself.
We don't always need to do anything to engage with the world; sometimes, just being present and acknowledging what’s around us is enough.
The work in this series is about the act of witnessing, the deep engagement with the moment, and recognizing that seeing is, in itself, a form of knowing.
So, in this sense, Presentations is about recognizing the value of consciousness, and the role of the observer in shaping the world. It’s an invitation to slow down and realize that our awareness, our ability to see and be present, has profound power.
EL: What’s next?
AM: It’s exciting to be back in the studio. During Presentations, I took a silversmithing class, which has opened up a new realm in terms of incorporating metalworking techniques into my sculptures. I’m combining some precious metals with found materials, and enjoying the exploration of how they can interact and complement each other.
The pieces in Presentations had a strong emphasis on light and shadow and I’m continuing to pursue that theme. I’m working on some pieces inspired by tracking the movements of the sun, much like how a plant will adjust to capture light throughout the day. I’ve long had a fascination with heliostats and this project combines that interest with my artistic practice, creating what I hope will be an interesting intersection between art, science, and light.
To learn more about Allie Mount’s work, check out her website.