About Allen
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 like myself who 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, my purpose is to provide a visual haven from the hyper-politicized, environment we live in today, a haven that delights via abstract color and form, mystique and surprise regarding the subject that invites viewer consideration. My primary focus is to explore the abstract in nature, as well as in discarded or obscure man-built objects, particularly those etched by the chemistry of our environment.
BIOGRAPHY
I received a Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma State University in Journalism/Advertising, which included studies in photography and a news photography internship. This led to a 35-year career in communications that included strategic work in graphic design studios, magazines, advertising agencies and corporate marketing departments. A long-time interest in impressionist, abstract expressionist and color field painting, along with the purchase of an Eliot Porter photo portfolio in 1980, fueled my interest in creating abstract and painterly photography, some of which is on view at a gallery I co-own in Old Town Albuquerque, NM.
Follow me on Facebook
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
* 2018 Art Car Museum/Houston (20th Anniversary Exhibition), Out of Doors—curated by Alicia DuPlan, Assistant Museum 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
* 2022 Placitas Community Library , Life in Focus, exhibit by members of JPG group of Jardineros de Placitas
* 2019-2022 Placitas Artists Series Visual Arts 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, noted Houston-based photographer
* 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, Museum 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
* 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016 Camera Roll Exhibitions, Williams Tower Gallery, Houston-- curated by Sally Sprout, Sally Sprout Fine Art, Houston
OTHER
* 2015 “Weirdo Simpatico: Little Stories for Short Attention Spans”, photo illustrations for book
ARTS INVOLVEMENT
* 2016-Present Pixels & Silver, Portfolio Group (Houston)
* 2019-Present Placitas Artists Series, Board President & Publicity Chair
* 2021-2022 Placitas Studio Tour, Participant
* 2021-2022 Portfolio Group Leader, Enchanted Lens Camera Club
* 2021-Present Land of Enchantment Photography Art Gallery, Albuquerque, NM, Co-owner and exhibiting artist
EDUCATION
* Oklahoma State University, BS, Journalism/Advertising
* Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Digital Master B&W Printing and Architectural Photography