Works by Allen Garns that have been sold at Scottsdale Fine Art.

A lot of Artists can point to the moment in their childhood when the muse first came to call; a single source of inspiration that would spark their creativity. For some it was a memorable visit to the local gallery. For others it was a word of encouragement from a grade school art teacher. For me, it was a veg-o-matic. Like any TV-watching ten-tear-old, I knew the commercial by heart: “It slices, It dices. . .” And I knew it would invariably be followed by another familiar ad, for Earl Shibe, the car painter: “Any car, any color , 19.95.” But on one particular evening in the Los Angeles suburb of Westchester, Earl took the night off. As the veg-o-matic spot ended, I heard a knew voice inviting me to own “100 of the World’s Most Beautiful Paintings,” from Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa to Gainsborough’s Blue Boy. All of them in luxurious color, and all in one spectacular book and priced even less than an Earl Shibe paint job. I’m not sure why, but I had to have one! And that Christmas, Santa Claus brought it. I remember turning through the pages carefully, trying to decide which painting was my favorite. The one that seemed most intriguing to me was Edward Hopper’s “7:00 A.M.” At the time, I couldn’t say what made it special. But in later years, I came to realize it was the paintings quality of light. 

Over the years in my studies at Art Center College of Design, and in museums of the world, I have drawn great inspiration from artists such as Bellini, Titian, Carravaggio, Velasquez, Chardin, Corot, Pissarro and countless others. They have all informed me of the physical and emotional qualities of light. In each painting I am involved with, I try to invest my paintings with a specific sense of light to establish form, describe space, and evoke emotion. I feel as did Walt Whitman:”To me, every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, every cubic inch of space is a miracle.” Struggling to express and translate these miracles into paintings is one of the great continuing adventures of my life. And to think it all started with a late night T.V. commercial. I still have the book, but I never did get a veg-o-matic!  

Resume: After a 25-year career creating art for corporations and publishers across the country, Allen is re-entering the world of galleries. During these years he has continued to paint his own work, which largely consists of urban imagery and still-lifes. But what Allen’s paintings are really about is light. The way light encounters a surface never ceases to amaze him. He agrees with Walt Whitman who said “To me, every hour of the light and dark is a miracle. Every cubic square inch of space is a miracle” Perceiving those miracles in ordinary objects and places and translating them to canvas is one of the great adventures of Allen Garns life. 

Professional Experience: 1980-present: Freelance Illustrator working for clients including: United AirlinesAmerican ExpressKnopf Books, Random House NewsweekSports IllustratedAtlantic MonthlyAwards have been received from the Society of Illustrators of New York, American Illustration, Communication Arts and Graphics.1980’s: Showed at Leslie Levy Gallery in Scottsdale 

Education: 1980: BFA from Art Center College of Design. Studied with Dan McCaw and John Asaro 1978: studied with William Whitaker and Trevor Southey

1990: Studied with Lennart Anderson in Italy