We recently connected with Andre Allen and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Andre, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I knew it was time to take my craft seriously around my mid twenties. Folks would always push me to sell pieces or make cover art for various other artist. For a while it was just a hobby until I had my first show at Human Heart Studios and I almost sold out of all my paintings. That gave me the motivation to keep working.
Andre, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
When I was younger I use to draw on the back of my homework all the time. Art was something I really couldn’t get away from so I just kept doing it. As I got older, close friends encouraged me to start painting especially using bigger pieces. Creating cover art for other artists is what motivated me to take my abilities to the next level. After a while I started getting commissions from folks out of state which only motivated me more. As of now I’m %100 traditional. I use acrylic paints and oil pastel mostly, but I am slowly dabbling into the digital world. One thing I’m mostly proud of isn’t exactly a specific piece but rather the amount of pieces I’ve done and the improvement over time I’m noticing. I’d like everyone to know that a lot of what I create is coming from an abstract mindset and it’s really up to the viewer on what it is I choose to make. It could be a multitude of things it just depends on who’s witnessing it.
Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?
Honestly I didn’t quite understand how NFTs worked. I thought it was a lame cash grab or a get rich quick scheme but a further look into it I realized it’s really beneficial for artists. In my opinion it’s a way for an artist to create something rare, a 1 of 1 in a digital format and sale the product at much higher value. This way any consumer can have a series of never before seen art projects. That’s pretty dope.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
It’s weird. To me the most rewarding aspect of being who I am as an artist is literally watching the process. Before I use to paint a piece within a day , just rushing through everything and when I’m finished I’m kinda left with an empty feeling. Nowadays I take my time and try to visualize what I’m doing. I may want to change something down the road and I have plenty of time to do so.
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