Phillip Allen

Phillip Allen's paintings are the product of his continuous sketching practice. He sketches on a small scale using A5 paper and felt pens. These drawings serve as the foundation for the development of his abstract forms and arrangements, which he then translates into unique oil paintings on board. To create a sense of depth, Allen frequently applies thick globs of paint to the edges of the canvas, resulting in a three-dimensional frame for the imagery within. Phillip Allen's dedication to exploring the possibilities of painting is evident through his tireless experimentation, in which he avoids a single method or style in favor of constantly pushing the boundaries of his medium. This chameleonic approach has led him to transition from geometric semi-figurative landscapes to soft, disintegrated abstraction, and highly sculptural and textured impasto paintings. Throughout his diverse output, Allen's colourist ingenuity, radical reconsideration of pictorial space and depth, and emphasis on the materiality of paint, its plasticity, texture, and sculptural properties, have remained consistent. His work often features fluid, spiraling, or coalescing forms, with hallucinatory, and playful qualities, and titles that reveal a curious and irreverent sense of humor.