Rogue Goat began in 2011 as a collaboration between Josh Hill and I, marrying scrollsaw craftsmanship with original acrylic paintings. We created a unique aesthetic, identifiable as “Rogue Goat” by the original (and singular to us) combination of live edge wood delicately cut with tree roots combined with atmospheric, speckled landscapes defined by trees. The original pieces were a form of sophisticated, contemporary folk art, playing with found materials like antique tin, reclaimed building materials and focused on distilling a landscape to basic shapes in our signature blue tones. Over time, the work evolved into more intentional, illustrative depictions of varied topographies.

13 years later, I’m still in love with responding to the characteristics of each carefully chosen plank of wood, still in love with my palette of blues and, as a very proud member of the Canadian maker community, in love with bringing my work to you at festivals and events across Canada. Following Josh’s death, I now create the work entirely on my own using a hand held engraver to freehand carve the tree roots, from which each original piece grows.

I live and work in The Station House Arts Collective in Rothesay, NB, with my two youngest sons, our dog Clyde and cat Kafka. I worked for many years in community arts engagement, creating events and programming that brought the beauty of arts learning to untraditional community spaces, often with a focus on community justice issues. You can find one of the projects I am most proud of (here) and my writing (here). I talk freely about grief and the impacts of suicide, dream in words and blue, speak most animal tongues, listen with my hips and fall in love every day. Mostly with dogs and squirrels and light.  ~ Allison Billings