allenball-first draft

I live very near to the St.Johns river, in a small wooded neighborhood. The trees are tall and healthy and stand quiet, most days i can hear the wind of the river in the needles of the pine trees and a multitude of birds singing. I try to affect the viewers of my works and provoke the meditative calm that the natural world provides me. I am a big fan of ethereal and soft focus compositions as a tool for quiet paintings and drawings; my favorite time of day is the foggy hour around six to seven in the morning. I enjoy soft light, and a quiet clash of light and dark, blue and red, warm and cool. Most of my paintings, drawings, and ceramics have an unavoidable natural overtone, I try to create pieces which are honest, unpretentious and painterly. I want my work to reveal the hand of the artist, to be a document of their making; my goal is to create a sense of effortless ease and  make the work as a whole feel light and unburdened by perfectionism.

AllenBall_statement outline

I paint, draw, and throw pots as meditation. Nature is peaceful and calming, slow and quiet; everything I do I try to evoke the emotions the natural world gives me and relay them to whomever views my work. When work is going well I am happy, self-actualized, and at peace.  I try to create stoic well designed compositions. Line quality and economy of form have always been very important to me.

Timeless elegance, soft focus, chic, bright, white, fresh, reflected light, twilight, herbaceous, woodland, environmental, lively, movement, painterly, ethereal, fog, mist, daybreak, first light, calming, peaceful,  meditative, semi matte, harmony of line and color, 

--The accomplishment and joy when I finish a successful work, and the realization that I’m honing my skills.

--Economy of line, light is strong; shadows are open not oppressive, strong color harmony, strong composition, and falls within my list of words and phrases above.

--I enjoy soft light, and a quiet clash of light and dark, blue and red, warm and cool. I enjoy painterly texture and like to see the hand of the artist. Each work is a record of its manufacture. Each work reveals the way in which it was created.

allen ball_Work Samples

Allen Ball

Etching 1, 2013

Arches paper, 11 X 7.5 inches

First in a series of three; an abstract etching of three groups of people in an atmospheric outdoor space. Designed to give a calming effect; On crème paper in warm black ink.

Allen Ball

Untitled, 2013

Watercolor & salt, on Bristol, 11 X 14 inces

An abstract ethereal backlit mist in a confined space, made with watercolors and sea salt to add a grainy effect to the composition. Made to be meditative and calming.

Allen Ball

Still life 1, 2013

Oil on Linen, 12 X 16 inches

A painting of light and shadow, parts of the painting remain purposely unfinished or painterly to preserve vibrancy of paint and brush marks. An overly bright light was used on a white setting to give a contemporary feel to a traditional alla prima still life.

Mapping the Journey

2014

• Graduated Floarts with A's and B's
• Awarded grant from One Spark
• 2015
• Sold first room screen
• Became Gallery Assistant at UNF
• Finished Scale Drawings for second screen
• Bought Honda Accord
• Studied abroad in Italy
• Visited Monte Carlo
• 2016
• Sold second room screen
• Began scale drawing and concept for third
• Made the 'making of' video to screens
• graduate UNF with a 3.7 GPA
• transfer to UF
• Land part time job in the Harn
• buy cottage in the suberbs
• sell third room screen 
• Gallery representation for ceramics and small scale paintings
• 2017
• began fourth room screen concept 
• buy rental house
• furnish cottage
• 2018 
• sell fourth room screen at premium
•  began fifth room screen concept
• graduate UF with 3.8 GPA
• move to New Haven CT.
• transfer to Yale's Art History program
• taught as ajunct
•  
•  

Letter From the Future

Dear future Allen,
2014 will start with lots of classes and you will need to keep after them, you will As and Bs again and graduate Floarts in April with Erika . You will also hold your gallery job till the end of summer semester, and a Venue will accept your plans for the painted room screen at One Spark 2014. You will receive enough to start work on your screen and sell it for a healthy profit. The proceeds will go partly you own college fund for study abroad in 2015, the other portion will go to funding next year's screen, and a small celebratory gift to myself! 2014 will end at UNF in the Art History and BFA degree path. It will be alot of work but keep up the work it will pay off!!

2015 will be a good year you will have made money and freedom with it. You are the assistant to the gallery at UNF and you have started the scale drawings to this years room screens! You also bought the Honda Accord. Watch your grades, because this is the year of reckoning, all your plans and money saving will pay off with a month and a half study abroad to Italy, in which you will also visit the French Riviera and Monte Carlo. This year will end with a bang!

In 2016 you will sell your second painted room screen further adding to your savings and ( celebratory gift!) funding of future projects. One of those projects will be a HD making of video for Youtube. You will employ a filmographer so it will be professional and fun. You will also further your education with your BFA and Bachelors in Art History. Your will transfer to UF and pay for the first year on your own, Although you will find a part time job or two because you Will Not take out any sort of loan, pay in cash. You will start on your third screen and sell quicker now that you are gaining steam. The combined proceeds from previous years will allow you to pay cash for a cottage in the suburbs; FREEDOM at last!!

In 2017 you will furnish your cottage with Restoration Hardware, and landscape it. Your grades are good but the masters degree path is rough and you will spend alot of time in the library and in study groups. Your job is going well but is stressing you out and keeping you from studying as much or having plenty of free time. Never the less you plan for another room screen and when you sell it you buy a second cottage and rent it out, financial stress no more! (somewhat)

2018 Will bring your Masters in Art History and you will need to move to New Haven CT. to attend Yale's PhD program. This will be a stressful year, your brother will have to care for the two rental cottages for you and you will use the money to fund your education and living expenses for the year. You will plan for a room screen this year but you wont start on it till next year. You will need to be on your toes and make As on everything. In summer 2019 you will move back to Florida and get a job teaching as an Adjunct, you will finish your dissertation and be forever known as Dr. Allen Ball!!
     Good luck, work hard and keep your eyes on the prize!
                       Past ME 

Presentations TODAY

Hello everyone, It's December 9 the day you have all been preparing for. Please arrive a bit early no later than 9.30 to load your presentation to the imac in the Main Gallery.

Looking Forward to your Presentations.

Donald Reddick_Tom Every

Tom Every (A.K.A. Dr. Evermore) is a metal sculpture artist from Sauk City, WI.  His work is presented at his personal art park. These works are mostly consistent of a Sci Fi nature, but there are others that are more in the realm of fantasy. His most well known sculpture is the Forevertron. He has not been an influence for too long. It wasn't until recently, in the last 3 years, that I became familiar with Mr. Every.  Considering that I am very interested in metal sculpture as my potential favorite of mediums I found that choosing Tom Every was the best of influences. Particularly because of my own personal love of Sci Fi and Fantasy.

Forevertron

50'x120'x60'

Bird Band

Tea House Gazebo