Impressions of Light
Landscapes and Seascapes in Oil
30th September to 24th October 2008
Open eve 29th September 7-9pm
Allan produces landscapes and seascapes in many different media – oil, water-colour, acrylic, pastel and ink, and also in mixed media – pastel laid on gouache – ink, water-colour and gouache. For this exhibition he has returned to oil on canvas and has reduced his usually large canvases to 50 cm x 40 cm, all with identical front-loaded frames.
A career in teaching (special education) took Allan to Bermuda in 1971, where he was greatly influenced by a small group of professional artists, which included Desmond Fountain, Emma Mitchell and Charles Zuill. Charles introduced him to etching as another medium of observation and expression. As a member of the Bermuda Society of Artists he enjoyed a successful show of paintings and graphics with two other artists during December and January 1973/1974 at the City Hall, Hamilton, Bermuda.
During 1974 he returned to the UK to teach emotionally and behaviourally disturbed teenage boys in S.E. London, when he produced some further graphics reflecting disturbance and dysfunction. Allan and his wife were missionaries in Nepal from 1979 to 1985 involved in technical education in the far west of the country. Upon the completion of his work in Nepal, Allan was appointed in 1985 as Deputy Head-teacher (later Vice Principal – Education) at a Shaftesbury Society school and further education college for physically challenged young people in Bromley, S.E. London, taking early retirement in 1995.
During 2003 Allan again took up his brushes and pens and has become very involved with Bromley Art Society regularly showing work with the Society, with small groups and alone, when he shows annually at the Ripley Arts Centre.
He produces landscapes and seascapes in a variety of media – oil, water-colour, acrylic, pastel and ink, and also produce works in mixed media – pastel laid on gouache – ink, water-colour and gouache. Allan has a growing interest in using ink-jet technology in mixed media work.
His painting style may be described as vigorously loose using strong colours following careful observation and drawing.
Allan is the Pastor of Westerham Hill Baptist Church, a position to which he was called in 1993.