David Allen

David Allen has lived in the Washington, D.C. area his entire life. He graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis on Art history and Education and the University of Maryland with a Master's of Arts with an emphasis on painting. David taught art in Montgomery County, MD for twenty years and then worked in MCPS administration for fifteen. He began painting seriously again for the first time after college once he stopped teaching fine art.

David moved away from his younger days in abstract expressionism and the human form to outdoor landscapes. He also transitioned from acrylic to oil paints. A common theme in David's work is water, and often boats. The Eastern Shore and Tidewater areas hold much of his heart since he spent his youth visiting family there. He also loves the shadows of densely wooded areas and the mountains of the East Coast. Most of his paintings are based in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Vermont, and Quebec, Canada. Using a combination of en plein air and studio painting, he creates vivid scenes from the natural world.

Artist Statement:

A painting is a compilation of an individual's life experience and need for artistic expression. I paint because I enjoy both the process and the anticipation of how the piece develops. Every painting is a practice. Technique is an integral part of each painting and an artist is constantly developing new techniques and eliminating others. I paint from observations of nature while trying to seek a likeness without confusing the subject with the painting. The process and painting should take on a meaning of their own. I find a painting successful if it conveys that meaning and emotion.