ARTIST STATEMENT

​

In his “law of the instrument,” Abraham Maslow said, "I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail."  This law certainly applies to photographers who, with their cameras, shoot a wide range of subjects on the way to finding their artistic voice.

 

While much art on the market today seems aimed at driving social awareness or change on often narrow topics, Allen’s stated purpose is to provide a visual haven from the hyper-politicized environment that we live in today, a haven that delights through abstract color and form, mystique and surprise regarding the subject. The predominant focus of his work is the abstract in nature, or in objects discarded or off the beaten path that have been etched by the chemistry of our environment.

 

BIOGRAPHY

​

Allen received a Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma State University in Journalism/Advertising, which included studies in photography.  His interest in the medium led to a news photography internship and a 35-year career in communications that included strategic work in graphic design studios, magazines, advertising agencies and corporate marketing departments. A chance purchase of an Eliot Porter portfolio in 1980 launched his interest in abstract photography, particularly of the natural environment, and has fueled an ongoing informal study of abstract and color field painting, especially the Washington Color School, which influences his print and video work today.

 

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

  • 2018  Art Car Museum/Houston (20th Anniversary Summer Exhibition), Out of Doors—curated by Alicia DuPlan, Assistant Director

  • 2017  Artspace Untitled/Oklahoma City, Oxidation (Select Works)—curated by Laura Warriner, Founder

  • 2016  Williams Tower Gallery, Oxidation —curated by Sally Sprout, Sally Sprout Fine Art, Houston

 

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

  • 2018 Archway Gallery/Houston, Tenth Annual Juried Exhibition—curated by Diane Gregory Griffin

  • 2018  FotoFest 2018, In the Eye of the Beholder—curated by Joe Aker

  • 2017  Assistance League of Houston, Celebrate Texas Art 2017—curated by Jose Esparza Chong Cuy, Associate Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago

  • 2016   Art Car Museum/Houston, Lives Matter—curated by Noah Edmundson, Director

  • 2016   Amarillo Museum of Art, High Plains Highways—curated by Wayne McSpadden

  • 2016   Lawndale Art Center, Houston, The Big Show 2016—curated by Apsara DiQuinzio, Curator of Modern Art, BAMPFA, and Tina Kukielski, Executive Director of ART 21

  • 2016   FotoFest 2016 Meeting Place, Houston

  • 2015   Williams Tower Gallery, Houston, Camera Roll 5—curated by Sally Sprout, Sally Sprout Fine Art, Houston

  • 2014   Williams Tower Gallery, Houston, Camera Roll 4—curated by Sally Sprout, Sally Sprout Fine Art, Houston

  • 2013   Williams Tower Gallery, Houston, Camera Roll 3—curated by Sally Sprout, Sally Sprout Fine Art, Houston

  • 2012  Williams Tower Galley, Houston, Camera Roll 2—curated by Sally Sprout, Sally Sprout Fine Art, Houston

 

OTHER

  • 2015 “Weirdo Simpatico: Little Stories for Short Attention Spans”, photo illustrations

 

EDUCTATION

  • Oklahoma State University, BS, Journalism//Advertising

  • Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Digital Master B&W Printing and Architectural Photography