Artist Statement: Allen Wynn’s archetypal sculptures call up personal associations from all who see them. These figures may represent any kind of person, anywhere in the world, because the artist has freed them from extraneous detail and has stated their meaning in the simplest terms. Allen Wynn has taken his impressions from earliest childhood memories through very recent experience and has interpreted them in a universal language.Allen Wynn’s tough, graceful sculptures represent the inner beings of working people that he has known all his life. They are usually women, sometimes accompanied by a child whose role is that of a cleared-eyed observer. Occasionally he will add a bird or a fish, not as an overt symbol but as a simple evocation of rural existence. The figures are reserved yet accessible, their train of thought reinforced by gestures as simple as the turn of a head or the position on an arm. Their emotions are contained within themselves.Allen Wynn has developed his own sculptural medium in order to achieve the tactile, responsive quality his work requires. He builds a wooden framework, then a fiberglass mixture is applied. He adds thin layers of this substance to the armature, adding and subtracting and modeling until the contours and the texture are right. He uses different paints for each patina, creating an effect subtle, depth that changes according to the light and time of the day." Allen Wynn’s sculptures are monumental in proportion, whether they are large or small in size. They are ageless in style and timeless in their emotional and intellectual content. "I grew up on a farm in southern Ohio. Strong women have been prominent in my life; the strength and earthiness of them have influenced the development of my technique and art process. Much of my artwork depicts female figures working and doing chores around the farm. As a self-taught artist, I never took formal art classes in school or college. It wasn't until I went backpacking through Europe and visiting the great cities and their museums that I realized the way to express my thoughts and emotions was through art. It was years later in my travel across the United States and Europe, that I was struck by the universality of my figures. Art is also a way for me and the viewer to connect to memories and feelings from the past to the present. I think it is incumbent on me to help viewers picture thoughts, whether good or bad. Thoughts that help to create the emotions I love to express in my craft. Lastly, I hope that through my work viewers find a meaningful link to roads traveled and people met." Education General Studies, Wright State University Dayton, OhioMay 1975 Workshops Native American PotteryAndrew and Judith HarvierSanta Clara Indian Pueblo, Espanola, New Mexico Raku Techniques WorkshopDavid BradleyPhoenix, Arizona, 1988 Exhibitions Mirada Fine ArtIndian Hills, ColoradoDecember 2009 The Firehouse GalleryDamariscotta, MaineJuly 2009 Riverspan Sculpture Exhibition, Juried ShowCincinnati, OhioJune 2009 D.O.C.S. Gallery, Featured Artist New Orleans, LouisianaApril 2009 Alden GalleryProvincetown, MassachusettsJune 2008 Riverspan Sculpture Exhibition, Juried ShowCincinnati, OhioJune 2008 Strecker-Nelson, Featured SculptorManhattan, KansasJune 2008 Malton GalleryCincinnati, OhioSeptember 2007 D.O.C.S. Gallery, Featured Artist New Orleans, LouisianaFebruary 2007 The Banks GalleryPortsmouth, New HampshireSeptember 2006 Carole Laroche Gallery Santa Fe, New MexicoJuly 2006 The Firehouse GalleryDamariscotta, MaineJune 2006 Longstreth-Goldberg, Featured SculptorNaples, FloridaApril 2006 Carole Laroche GallerySanta Fe, New MexicoDecember 2005 Strecker-Nelson, Featured SculptorManhattan, KansasJune 2004 Malton Gallery, Featured SculptorCincinnati, OhioApril 2004 D.O.C.S. Gallery, Featured Artist New Orleans, LouisianaJanuary 2004 Cairn Croft Sculptor GardenDover, MassachusettsSeptember 2003 University Hall Gallery, University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OhioAugust 2003 Hallar Gallery, Featured Sculptor Kansas City, MissouriMay 2003 Private and Corporate Collections Emanuel Ax New York, New York Steven and Robin BergSan Francisco, California Sue Delean Scottsdale, Arizona; & Toronto, Ontario, Canada Gail and Arnie Gelfand New Orleans, Louisiana; & Aspen, Colorado Gerald Huggs Fort Worth, Texas; & Portland, Oregon Francis Kalmbach Shreveport, Louisiana; & San Miguel de Allende, Mexico Debra LyonsSanta Fe, New Mexico; & Long Island, New York Donald PlinerSouth Beach, Florida; & Chicago, Illinois Manny RamirezBoston, MA Governor Bill RichardsonSanta Fe, New Mexico Penny Vinik Boston, Massachusetts; & Boca Raton, Florida Blue Cross Blue Shield New Orleans, Louisiana Federal Reserve Bank of AtlantaNew Orleans, Louisiana Hot Springs Civic and Convention CenterHot Springs, Arkansas Museum, Louvre It or Leave ItMinneapolis, Minnesota Procter & GambleCincinnati, Ohio Saks 5th AveGreenwich, Connecticut Saks 5th AvePalm Beach, Florida Gallery Representation Carole Laroche Gallery Santa Fe, New Mexico Bella Casa Interior DesignsColumbus, Ohio Jules PlaceBoston, Massachusetts Mirada Fine Art Gallery Denver, Colorado Mitchell Hill Gallery Charleston, South Carolina Studio E Gallery Palm Beach Gardens, Florida