I believe that my fascination with
abstract imagery can be traced back 15 or 20 years to my interest in Mandala
art. As I began creating my own mandalas, I found myself hopelessly
smitten by what I considered to be pure geometric
form.
I was especially keen on the equilateral triangle and its many polyhedral
configurations. I was so obsessed with symmetrical forms that for
many years I could think of little else. I drew them in endless combinations
of shape and color. It was not until much later that I began to explore
the possibilities of asymmetrical forms. Subsequently I have spent the
past several years pursuing some imaginary middle ground, still in awe
of pure geometric form and yet increasingly consumed by its antithetical
counterpart. I seem to believe that the chaos of my current free
form work can somehow interface with the symmetry and balance of my former
geometric style.
My images usually begin as acrylic
or water color paint applied to either canvas or paper. Much of my
work is completely spontaneous, relying on the image in progress to stimulate
my sense of direction. Sometimes I will get a new idea for applying paint
or a clear vision
for
how an image could look and then proceed with abandon. Some of my work
is scanned and then digitally enhanced and then output as an Iris Giclee
Print on paper or canvas. My originals are becoming larger and larger as
I begin to feel more comfortable with various techniques. I thoroughly
enjoy the process of finding new and different ways of applying and effecting
paint. I would have to say that I consider the color selection process
to be the most stimulating and rewarding aspect of my work. I have always
been hyper sensitive to color and have conceived my own theories about
rendering powerful combinations, in spite of the fact that the actual science
of color theory tends to throw me for a bit of a loop.
Though I have had a strong desire
to make things since early childhood, I have tended to scatter what talents
my ancestral benefactors may have given me. Much of my childhood was consumed
with competitive tennis. Despite the demands and rigors of the junior tennis
circuit I always found time to endeavor some sort of creative enterprise.
I eventually quit tennis much to the disappointment of my parents and coaches.
I was later to play some pro tennis in my mid twenties, but that would
be fairly short lived. I picked up the craft of fine woodworking in my
very early twenties and have continued with it on and off for more than
twenty years.
In my mid twenties to my early thirties
I was living in the jungles of Hawaii. Living in tents, caves, and trees
for nearly seven years, I was always indulging some sort of artistic endeavor.
I became proficient at fashioning my own clothing, which mainly consisted
of cut fabric that would wrap and tie. Later I became i
nvolved
in designing Head and Bodywear for men and women and tried unsuccessfully
for several years to launch my own line, I did however come very
close on a couple of occasions. I still have all my designs and patterns
and intend someday to have my abstraction become print on fabric.
For the past ten years or so I have been supporting my addiction to
abstract painting by designing and building fine cabinetry and furniture.
It is my conviction that the need
to create is one of the common threads of all mortal creatures. Creation
is all and all is Creation...has been my personal mantra for many
years. I believe that all mortals create... speaking, writing, even
thinking are acts of creation. God is capable of bringing into existence... personalities,
energy, matter...all by pure thought. Having within us His divine spark,
mortals share some small capacity and remote instinct to create. Evolution
may take millions of years to biologically equip creatures for transition
to mortal mind. But once acquired the recipient can choose to transcend
the realms of time and space and begin the long journey toward the first
source and center...
"Ultimately, I view my inspiration for the creation of abstract images to be the never-ending fluctuations of energy and matter as seen in interstellar space. I believe these far-flung aggregations of evolving matter to be the essence of truth and beauty. In my opinion, this endless evolution of chaos toward order represents the highest level of absolute potentialities, a timeless representation of a seemingly endless universe."
Brian Allan
Brian Allan
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