Local scientist and artist Allison Aiken poses with her two young daughters. Courtesy/Allison Aiken

COMMUNITY News:

Head to the Los Alamos Co-op Market to see the current art exhibit in the café, lively floral and other nature-inspired works by scientist and local artist Allison Aiken.

Hailing originally from Central Florida, Aiken has been interested in both arts and science for as long as she can remember. “Our family has an interest in art, and I always wanted to be a scientist as well. Whenever I would go out into the field, in high school, in college, my [science] notebooks always had drawings.” Her hometown of Winter Park hosts one of the longest-standing juried art festivals in the country. “That influenced me, not just the bright and vibrant colors in Florida, but this art show, which we went to every year.”

Dr. Aiken first came to Los Alamos as a summer undergraduate student. After graduate work and a post-doc in Europe, she returned to Los Alamos in 2010; she lives in town with her husband and young daughters and works at LANL in the field of earth sciences.

“I have extra energy, and want to share my eye, how I see things, to see if it resonates with other people. With this show at the Coop, I’m trying to gauge people’s interest.”

Without much formal training in art, Aiken shies away from working in oil, but has embraced acrylic, pen-and-ink, and watercolor. “I’ve always felt like painting is what I’m supposed to be doing in terms of my art,” she says.

All pieces are original, one-of-a-kind artworks, and are available for sale. The show will be up at the Co-op through the end of November. For more information about Allison Aiken and her art, visit https://www.allisonaiken.com/

The Los Alamos Co+op offers daily breakfast burritos, hot bar (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.), salad bar (11 a.m. to 5 p.m.), healthy grab-and-go foods, and a wide selection of natural, local, and organic pantry and grocery items. For this week’s deli menu, visit https://losalamos.coop/deli-catering/

“The Los Alamos Cooperative Market: The Heart of the Community at the Edge of Town” https://losalamos.coop/ at 95 Entrada Drive is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Artwork by local resident Allison Aiken is on display at Los Alamos Co-op Market in the café throughout November. Courtesy/Allison Aiken