Wayne C. Allen

I started painting back in the 1960s, but my “arts education” began at Elmhurst College (now University.)

The first thing I painted was a portrait from a live model. Being me, I painted her on plexiglass, and mounted the plexiglass on a box full of twinkling lights.

My next painting was taken...

I started painting back in the 1960s, but my “arts education” began at Elmhurst College (now University.)

The first thing I painted was a portrait from a live model. Being me, I painted her on plexiglass, and mounted the plexiglass on a box full of twinkling lights.

My next painting was taken from a photo of a mom, dad, and baby, cuddling. I loosened the image up a bit, but my colour palette was pretty bland.

My art Prof gave me an “A”, but then, fatefully, asked me, “Can’t you see the colours in the shadows?”

Given the amount of recreational substances he and the rest of us were taking back then, I guessed he was tripping.

Then, I began to see what he meant by that. There WERE colours in the shadows!

I hated, absolutely hated Abstract Art, so I became a figurative artist.

In a figurative world, realism remains, but is “overwritten” by the artist’s vision of how to bring out the emotions contained in the scene.

This “real world focus” fit for me. My brain just doesn’t compute abstraction. I like the “here and now” reality of figurative art (I’m a simple Zen guy, after all.)

My body of work that revolves between three themes: nude figure studies, portraits, and “scenes from everyday life.” In each case, I follow my instinct to produce paintings that are identifiable as “mine.”

Figurative art needs a strong basis in reality; but I don’t believe it has to be “accurate.” It’s possible for creative expression to marry itself with my artistic vision.

I (finally!) found my niche. It’s actually a bit funny. I occasionally try to shift things up, and as I paint, I correct myself, so the end product matches my vision.

My style flexes back and forth between realistic and figurative art. I’ve worked to learn to “see” the colours in the shadows… my art Prof was on to something!