I love color—particularly bright color! In my Earth Series, I complement earth tones with splashes of related bright colors found in nature. In my Riots of Color Series, I combine transparent watercolor techniques, acrylic glazes of bright colors, and opaque acrylic forms to contrast free-form designs with structured shapes. My Fan Series uses relatively noncomplex color zones that are scraped to allow lower colors to show through and then complemented with splashes of color. My Dots and Lines Series lets me contrast very complex color zones in simple relationships.
View Allen's schedule of classes and live demonstrations.

I learned leather carving and tool making in the Boy Scout merit badge program taught by my father. In my teens, I taught leatherwork to Scouts. I continued to make functional items over the years, but my artistic use of leather exploded when Tandy Leather opened a teaching and sales facility in Raleigh. My favorite items to make and carve are elaborate western holsters and gunbelts and chessboards.

I have been making furniture and cabinets since I was around ten years old. I grew up with a shop in the basement and a father who made high-end wood office chairs and desks. We made all the cabinets and woodwork for our house and I did the same for my house. I made my own tools on a forge and started carving and turning wood in the 1950s. My passions today are turning chess men, pepper grinders and salt shakers, and various kinds of vessels.