Painting by Angel Allen

Artist Bio

Angel Allen is an African-American oil painter who currently lives and works in France. Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, a city rich in art culture, she was drawn to the art world, and thus greatly influenced her admiration for fine arts. Allen’s paintings are characterized by black people surrounded or infused with symbolic elements, painted with a vibrant and lively color palette, against a simple background. Her work aims to represent the Black/African American community and culture in a positive light. Allen’s art journey began in high school when she took her first real art class. Every year of high school after, she continued to take the class. Allen went on to receive a B.A. in French and International Business, then an M.A. in International Business. Throughout all of her education, she continued to teach herself art history, different techniques, and mediums. Allen’s skills progressed tremendously throughout years of self-teaching, and so upon graduating from business school, she decided to make her talent a career. Though her career is very young, Allen has grown followers, clients, and admirers of her work. From selling originals to single clients, to commissioning for other artists and musicians, Allen has already begun to popularize her name and expand her visibility. Her goal for the near future is to participate in fairs and exhibitions, and to organize a solo art show.

Painting by Angel Allen

Artist Statement

Over the past two years of oil painting as a professional, my art has gone through quick and extraordinary changes. My art centers around Black-American life and culture. It represents typical themes, feelings, and moments of Black America; sometimes critically and politically. My unique style is revealed through my use of vibrant colors and symbolic elements placed within my paintings, to give it an almost surrealistic impression. In my eyes, Black America emits this sort of vibrant light that has risen from a history of enslavement, exclusion, denial, and pain. Thus, my color palette often consists of colors of hope, strength, and life, to represent that uprising. My style is also characterized by faces and figures that appear overly saturated. This is a continuous element that I use to symbolize the colorful, lively spirit of the Black American community. In my paintings, this spirit is so strong and bright that its colors can actually be seen from the outside. Since I began my career in the midst of the police brutality and maltreatment of black men in America, many of my subjects are men. Black men in an emotional state. The face, pose, and color theme work together to reveal what might have been years of internalized emotions. Gradually, as I am continuing in my work, I am including women and children to acknowledge the fullness of the black community.  

Painting by Angel Allen

What continues to motivate you to create your work?

My main motivations for creating my work have always been two things: the lifestyle that being an artist can provide -- that is, the freedom to create passionately. The other is the excitement for what the future holds.

I can’t ever imagine myself doing anything other than painting. Being a creative allows me to express myself and how I see the world in an effective, beautiful, and provocative ways. Every day I step into my studio and I realize just how grateful I am! I am so proud of myself for listening to my own heart and taking that leap of faith to become the artist that I am and the artist that I am evolving into.

The future is also very exciting to me in terms of what the art world has the potential to become. Art is taking on so many different faces, and those individuals behind the art are becoming so beautifully diverse. With wider representation of different peoples and communities, and greater acceptance of various forms of art, I have much hope for the future of art! I envision myself amongst those who are part of that new art scene and era. I am a black artist who is motivated by many other black creatives. To be honest, before finding interest in art, I don’t believe I knew many black artists other than Basquiat and Jacob Lawrence. So, from the very beginning when I made the decision to become a professional artist, my motivation has been to become someone worthy of being a role model to young black creatives. This is an opportunistic moment to positively impact young black aspiring artists. I give 100 percent to my work every day for them, and for my future children as well. The outcome that is generated from my two motivations is really how I measure my success.

Who or what influences your practice?

My passions outside of art as well as my inner emotions strongly influence my practice, as well as everyday life. I am passionate about nature, deep thought, and also have a drive to discover happiness through simple living. Though some of these may not seem completely evident to the eye while viewing my work, they greatly influence the piece—from how I initially approach an idea, all the way through to the last brushstroke. At the beginning of my career, I couldn’t really make the connection between my finished works and what truly influenced them, and that was mainly due to the fact that I was new and in the process of developing my own style. I began listening to myself and what topics attracted me the most, and now I can look at one of my paintings and really see how it is influenced by pieces of my personality and personal life.

How would you describe the mood of your work?

I would describe my work as provocative, yet not visually overwhelming. My work includes different symbolic elements such as the choices of color and the pose of the figure that are quite centralized and compact to really intensify the emotion behind the painting. I generally do not like to add too many elements across the canvas, as I find it distracting. I want the figure itself to carry the bulk of the emotion and message that I am trying to communicate with the viewer.

What do you feel is the most challenging part of being an artist?

The most challenging part of being an artist is trusting in yourself and your ability. There are so many talented artists in the world, and it can be very easy to feel that you aren’t creating “up to par”. There is also the art critic in all of us, that puts a value on art based on skill and originality. In the beginning of my career, I found myself constantly comparing my work to others; I even compared painting styles, believing that one style equated to a higher level of talent. It all became overwhelming to keep up with; it felt like a never-ending search for what I thought was “perfect art’’. I knew I could not continue with the habit of comparison if I really wanted to discover who I was and my worth, as an artist. I had to begin to trust in my capabilities and to trust that what I was capable of was valuable. I also had to believe that the art I was creating had worth and beauty to be admired, and that belief is how I overcome this challenge of self-trust every single day.

Tell us about something from your creative life that you are particularly proud of.

I am proud of how creativity, creating my art, as well as the creation of any art in itself has opened up the world to me. It has changed my life and has molded me into a person that I am also proud of. It’s changed my perspective of beauty, of freedom, and of what is significant in this world. I am also proud of how my creative life has allowed me to connect with other profoundly passionate artists who devote their lives to creating and storytelling; it is a beautiful community to be a part of.

www.angelallenarts.com

Headshot of Angel Allen