Newsletter 2021

Gouache sketch of our neighborhood in Colorado

Catching Up

First, a much belated but deeply felt thank you to all who attended my show last November. It was more fun and successful than we had ever imagined. We thank you all! I’m so glad we didn’t let the pandemic keep us from getting together. 

Another catch-up item. Last year I had a wonderful commission to make paintings of a family cabin, one for each of the grown children. It was a beautiful time. Thank you to Scott Higginson for arranging this project. Here are just a few of them.

Mission and Utah

I’m writing this from the mountains of Utah. Thanks to Diane's family, we have a cabin here. Robert Redford, who until recently owned all the land surrounding us, said "Everyone in Hollywood has their therapists. I have Utah!" So at the end of our mission, we came straight here from Colorado and had a wonderful reunion with our children and grandchildren.

That last paragraph might imply that we needed therapy as a result of our mission. Not at all. We loved Colorado and we especially loved the people we worked with. It has been a highlight of our lives! 

Me and Diane at Boulder Falls

One of the initiatives in our mission was to create uplifting content to post on social media; short stories that ideally touch the heart. We made a 1:30 minute video about the birth of our granddaughter that we were pretty happy with. 

Click picture to watch

During my forty year career, I’ve shied away from doing work about my faith. I think it is because of intimidation of the subject; How do you portray God? Artists have done it for millennia. Some magnificently, some not so much. Deep inside I’ve wanted to dive in so I’ve been doing a few things when I get a chance such as this drawing of Jesus.

Back in the Studio

After a 10 month hiatus, I’m excited to get back to work on my art. I have some unfinished projects to work on and ideas for new paintings. I look forward to see where my art journey takes me. I hope you come along with me as I keep you posted with these periodic newsletters.

Work in Progress, begun early in the pandemic.

Fall 2020 Newsletter

The painter, Susan Lichtman, quotes one of her painting professors as saying, 

“Paint what you know, paint what you can”.

I think that is valuable advice. It’s not uncommon for an artist to be seduced by somebody else’s subject matter or expertise or some exotic location looking for subject matter. Sometime ago I settled in to being content painting what I find in my day to day world and just try to paint it best I can.

Sunrise in the Neighborhood • 8x10

Open Studio/Painting Sale!

Here is the link to sign up.

I'm working on having my first ever open studio and sale on Saturday, November 21! (If Covid spikes up too much we'll postpone till spring). We'll be considering all the necessary health precautions. My studio is large enough to handle a fair amount of people with distance and it opens up into a large yard. We will use an online sign up sheet with times to attend. I think it will be a lot of fun! You would be able to see old and new paintings along with seeing a little of how I work in the room where it happens. Some of the paintings will be available at special Covid prices, others at regular price. In addition to paintings, there will be some very affordable prints. But don't let purchasing keep you away, if you're just interested in seeing what I do, you're invited! Here is the link to sign up. 

Here are a few of the paintings that will be there.

Last Light at Bulldog • 6x6 • Oil on panel 

Hot Dogs On Central • 18x20 • Oil on Canvas 

Phoenix Art • 24 x 24 Oil on canvas 

Morning Light on Washington St • 8x8 • Oil on panel 

Diving Lady • 24x30 • Oil on canvas

Along the Canal • 8x10 • Oil on panel 

Desert Forms • Oil on panel • 8x10 

Catching Up  

Here are a few things that have been going on over the past months.

It's of course an unusual time. The virus has had some effect on us. We were supposed to be in Colorado right now, serving a mission for our Church, however that has been postponed because of Covid. We still hope we will eventually be able to go. Fortunately, I have been given a multi-painting commission that has turned out to be wonderful. Because it is a surprise gift, I can't say much about it, but it's been keeping me busy. 

Halloween  

It's a good time to make some masks. We had our grand kids over to the studio and painted on some palm fronds.

Our grandkids with their masks.

.

Utah

As a young teenager, my great-grandfather, William Lindsay, sailed across the ocean from Scotland, drove a wagon across the plains with a company of Mormon pioneers and settled in the Heber Valley of Utah. Although I’ve never lived there, it has always had a sense of home to me. My mother lived the first years of her life there before her family moved a few miles away to Park City (back then a rough mining town). Most every summer of my life I have traveled back to that area, first with my parents and for the last 40 years with my own family. Here are a couple of paintings from this summer’s trip. Still an idyllic place but changing fast.

Zoey Frank Workshop

Much of my career has been comprised of land and cityscapes. For sometime I've been wanting to do more figurative work. So earlier this summer I participated in a figure composition workshop led by Zoey Frank, a very gifted artist. Grounding in the history of painting from early renaissance to contemporary figurative painting, we’ve analyzed paintings and then begun developing our own composition.  

Analytical studies of paintings by Titian, Van Der Weyden,
Carpaccio and Piero della Francesca
(Clockwise from top left)

One of the historical pieces I studied is “the Departure Of The Ambassadors” by Carpaccio, a Venetian painter of the 1400’s. I’ve long been fascinated with the large space in which the figures are situated. I very loosely based my own composition on some of the visual ideas contained in the Carpaccio. Next newsletter I'll show you the finished painting or, come to my Open Studio and see it!

That's it for this round. Looking forward to my favorite time of year here as the weather finally starts to cool off and the sun, instead of the color-bleaching overhead inferno, is dropping down into the southern sky creating that beautiful light.

Hope to see you at my studio in November.

Stay well,

Allen

Spring 2020 Newsletter

"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul."

Goethe 

A few years ago, I had the flu so this bottle of throat spray was always out sitting around. On the one hand, it was evidence of how lousy I felt, continually trying to numb the pain in my throat. On the other hand I started to think it would be interesting to paint with its mix of intense color and neutrals, transparency and opacity, shiny and matte. For a short time as I painted, my sickness was forgotten. I was too intent on seeking something good to pay attention to the illness. I don't minimize the challenges that our present condition presents, but I think there's some application of that idea to our time.

That said, the corona virus has certainly had an affect on me and my family. We have a son in his first rear of residency. His chosen practice is emergency room! After graduating medical school this past May, it’s as if he was shot out of a cannon into the lion’s mouth. So far, he and his little family are doing fine.

And … for myself, a few things have happened. I teach a drawing class at Mesa Community college each semester. We have had to go online so I've been spending hours making demonstration videos. I've enjoyed the process (but it has been a huge cut into my painting time). Youtube and imovie are both awesome.

You can click here to see a 50 second sped up clip.

Another project I've been able to work on is this commissioned piece for Chase Rasmussen. Multi-generations of his family have grown up with this view from their cabin in Colorado so it has some special meaning. I don't do a lot of landscape and when I do, it's usually the desert. This was a fun challenge. I think it turned out rather nicely.

Half Price Sale

My show scheduled for April was of course cancelled. As a result, I have a pretty large inventory sitting around my studio. There is a chance that it will be rescheduled in July. Hopefully. With that in mind and given the uncertain state of our economy, for a limited time I am putting paintings up for sale online at extremely reduced prices. I’m giving this news to you, my newsletter subscribers before I announce this on social media or anywhere else. I am working on getting a purchase/payment system on my website but for now, if you are interested in any of these paintings, just send me an email and we’ll work out the details. Tax and shipping (where needed) will be added on. If you are able, you're welcome to come to my studio to see the painting before you purchase. (All sales have full satisfaction guarantee, if for any reason you are dissatisfied, you can return the work for a full refund and I will pay the shipping.) Feel free to email me with any questions about framing or anything else. So this is an opportunity to get a piece of original art at a very reasonable price. I'd be honored to have one hanging in your home.

allen@allengarns.com

480.854.3121

The Diving Lady • 24"X 30" Oil on canvas • $1300 Framed

My Florist, Late Afternoon • 12"X 12" Oil on gessoed panel • $600 unframed

Morning Canal • 6"X 6" Oil on canvas panel • $195, $150 unframed
All 6x6's are same price unless otherwise noted

Evening Falls On 3rd St.• 6"x6"Oil on Gessoed Panel, 

Approaching Storm • 6"X 6" Oil on cradled panel • $150
(Sold)

South On Central • 6"X 6" Oil on canvas panel 

Under And Through,  Washington St. •  6"X 6" Oil on canvas panel
(Sold) 

Mission Call

Final news, My wife and I have been called to serve a mission for The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day-Saints. We are deeply grateful and excited for this opportunity. Our tentative report date is in late summer, going somewhere in Northern Colorado, most likely where there is a smaller congregation.  We'll spend our time finding ways to serve people, assisting with employment, addiction problems, general self reliance and helping them feel the transforming love of Jesus Christ. I'm not sure exactly how this will affect my art or how I will be able to use my art in our work. Right now, my intention is to do at least one small painting a week that I will post on IG and FB. So it will be an adventure!

It's of course interesting times we are in. Stay well, keep hope and love your loved ones.

January 2020 Newsletter

A New Year!

I like Tom Peter’s assertion, “Whoever makes the most mistakes the fastest, wins!” Or Hemingway, “If you can start, you’ll be all right, the juice will come.” Problem is, negative thinking often gets in the way, keeps us from acting. It can keep me from starting a painting, applying for a show, making resolutions etc. Steven Pressfield refers to it as resistance. "Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your life’s work. It will perjure, fabricate, falsify, seduce, bully, cajole. It will take any form to deceive you. Resistance is always lying and always full of *#”!.

The beginning of a new year always presents a choice. Do I give in and dwell in resistance, doubt and fear, the cynical view that new year’s resolutions don’t last? Or like Emily Dickinson, do I dwell in possibility. I’m stickin' with Emily.

(…and thanks for stopping by.)

News

Workshop

I'm looking forward to my annual workshop "Painting in the City". I'm preparing a little booklet with instruction on general principles of painting, along with specific tips on city painting. It will be available only to members of the class! Starts Saturday, 27 Feb and runs for 4 consecutive Saturdays.
(Each image on this site can be enlarged by clicking on it)

Plein air painting in downtown Phoenx

Upcoming Show

I'm continuing to prepare for my show this Spring. The reception will be 1st Friday, April 3 at Olney Gallery, located on the Trinity Cathedral Campus, just west of Central on Roosevelt in downtown Phoenix. It will be a collection of oil, gouache and watercolor  paintings around the valley, mostly cityscapes and neighborhoods but maybe a few desert paintings also. I'll be showing with Christen Quissell who does beautiful watercolors of old neighborhoods in Phoenix. You are invited to come!
here are 2 of the paintings that will be there.

Detail, painting of downtown Phoenix

Country Club and Main, Mesa, SE Corner

Prints Available

This Dairy Queen with its iconic sign was a small but loved landmark in Mesa for decades. This is a painting that I did a few years ago. 9x12 archival prints are available for $35. If you are interested, email me at allen@allengarns.com.

Landscape Commission

I've put some of my city painting on hold as I've been working on a commission for Chase and Tatum Rassmusen. Here's a detail of the work in progress. It's an extraordinary view from the cabin their family has owned for a few generations. It's been a good change from the urban imagery. Thanks C & T!

(Detail)

Bookshelf

Walking through the smog and congestion of Florence Italy, I turned and entered the convent of San Marco. The peace and beauty were so welcome! Wandering through the halls and rooms, every turn reveals a masterpiece fresco on the walls, painted by Fra Angelico, a monk who resided there in the 1400's. 
One of my most beautiful art books is Fra Angelico, by Jacqueline and Maurice Guillaud. Not only are the paintings stunning, the production of the book is gorgeous. The center dwell of pages are printed on a vellum like paper that simulates the dry, matte surface of fresco paintings on plaster.

The beauty of his faces are just one of the things I love about his work.

He was baptized Guido de Pietro. He took the name of Giovanni de Fiesole when he became a Dominican Friar. It was after his death that he received the name of Fran Angelico because of his angelic demeanor and because he painted like one.

Sketchbook

We'll end this issue with a few pages from my sketchbooks, which I carry with me almost everywhere I go. Again, thanks for looking. Feel free to make a comment if you like.

Happy New Year.

Hangin' in the kitchen

Church

Girl in store

Family friend

Barnes and Noble (She moved a few times)

Lightrail

Idea sketch