Although expressionist artist Ali Cockrean has studied art at St Martins College of Art and Design and the Slade School of Fine Art, she says her skills are largely self-taught. Ali is showing 36 of her works completed during the past few years at the O3 Gallery, Oxford Castle, until November 22. Most pictures are worked in acrylic and varnished, though there are a few of her latest works on show in mixed media. These are small abstract studies influenced by the countryside, which are quite different from the large Rothko-syle works that take up most of the wall space.

Unlike Rothko, who largely abandoned conventional titles for his work, relying instead on colours or numbers to distinguish one from another, Ali appears to have given considerable thought to titles. Large canvases have been given such names as Relax, Mountain Range, Autumn and Distinguishing Features. More recent pictures have names such as Red Balloon, Whirlpool and Anybody There?

Two very colourful works, Red Rag to a Bull (above) and Purple Prose, which hang by the entrance of this stylish little gallery, are excellent examples of work which has been influenced by one of our great artists, yet displays a spark of unique creativity, and classifies Ali as an artist capable of original thought. Using a syringe and collage techniques, Ali has raised the surface of the central line running through both pictures, using contrasting colours that both separate the bold colours she first placed on the canvas. These central lines bring the canvases alive with a vibrant touch.

In Autumn, which she admits is her favourite work, she has let her Rothko-like stripes of bold colour speak for themselves. The autumnal colours she has used say everything.

As her work has already appeared regularly in exhibitions throughout the country, Europe, the US and Canada, the O3 Gallery considers it an honour to display her pictures.