Back in action & Badlands Series

Hey everyone— for those who don’t know me super well, for the past fifteen or so years I’ve dedicated most of my life to professional aspirations as a licensed clinical social worker and health care administrator. Health care and specifically mental health are passions of mine, second only to art and painting. Painting, my first passion, during that time very much took a back seat.

Recently however, my wife and I decided to downsize, reorganize, and streamline our lives. Make things less complicated. Be more present with ourselves, each other, and our children. So, a few months ago, we listed our house in Oregon and moved across country to live in a beautiful rural coastal community in North Carolina. We couldn’t be happier with our choice. And almost immediately after settling in to our new home a bit I set up a painting studio. I’ve been back at it, slinging some paint and it feels great. Something about this huge change has been disruptive for me in a good way. I’ve been able to quiet my mind and reconnect with painting in a way that I just couldn’t for the last fifteen years. And I’m looking forward to what comes next!

Up in the landscapes section of my site you’ll see a series of closely related landscapes of Badlands South Dakota. I decided to drop by the Badlands on my drive to North Carolina from Oregon. That area has special meaning to me and I was inspired to capture the beautiful tones of the earth and the ever shifting clouds above. I am pleased with the body of work as a series. I plan to work this way on future projects, so please keep an eye out for another group of paintings centered on a specific theme.

Allyn