BIO

I am an artist and teacher based in Jersey in the Channel Islands and have used my immediate landscape as inspiration for my work since studying in Cornwall and Milan between 2002 and 2006. My primary mediums are painting and drawing and predominantly en plein air from the beaches of Jersey.

I try to infuse an urgency and energy within the paintings which comes from working directly in the landscape. I take a lot of influence from artists such as Soutine, Van Gogh and Peter Lanyon whose artwork has an immediacy that describes not just the physical aspects of a place but the sensation of being present in the landscape.

"To stand in a landscape and paint what you see before as clouds and shadows constantly change is a true challenge. This is what makes plein air so exciting. Robert Allen has two such paintings in this show. Both pictures … show an artist working with authenticity and passion."

Comments about my artwork by Allan Drummond, Judge of the 2017 Channel Islands JJ Fox competition.

“You should know your own square mile before moving on to the next.”

Since hearing the above quote from the Welsh artist Osi Rhys Osmand I have been inspired to use my immediate environment as my art making source. Whether it is collecting objects and materials from urban sites in Milan or from the beaches around Jersey, or responding in paint to the changing tides and seascapes around the island. In the past couple of years, I have been drawn to the act of plein air painting as it combines both the skill set needed for painting with a more conceptual pursuit of reacting to the environment and painting something bigger than myself.

I have taken part in over 40 individual and group exhibitions in Jersey, the UK and in Milan in the past. I have always made my work to be shown to the public and this is one of my main drivers. I want the public to see my work and I want them to see their own surroundings differently after seeing my work. I exaggerate colours, forms and textures in the landscape to heighten the viewers experience of the landscapes around them.