Archive for the ‘acrylic’ tag

Allen Vandever art post "Cave to Corcovado"

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Cave to Corcovado Acrylic by Allen Vandever

She became so worn down from the unrelenting struggle; she could no longer fight against her tormentors. She finally succumbed to their hundreds of tugging and clasping hands, though she still had the weight of the living. It seemed almost a relief when they took her away. But though her lids expressed serenity, her vacant eyes revealed only a shell, a vessel empty of its purpose. Her soul was taken to a multitude of directions, and I was left, lost to their route.
Images of my ex-wife’s breakdown still haunt me to this day. This is the first, of a series of three, about this time period of our lives, which I began about 8 years ago. Shedding One’s Skin, is the third, and is the subject of the last posting.

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Posted: December 12th, 2009
at 11:27am by Koookiecrumbles

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Categories: art,contemporary

Comments: 1 comment


Allen Vandever art post "Shedding One’s Skin"

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Shedding One’s Skin Acrylic by Allen Vandever

This strange being convulses violently until her release, but once in the air of the world outside its shell, it writhes and shrinks from the sun too hot mercilessly scorching its translucent skin, too bright for the pupils in their first exposure to its rays. She has wrenched apart her soft underside from the hardened, weatherworn shell once donning her beautiful face. She is not the worm becoming moth; she is a detestable carrion bird emerging from timber not yet lit. A scavenger of her own body left on a pyre not aflame for ashes. She is saturated in all the secretions of a gapping wound, her body raw, tender, and vulnerable. My lady must walk in darkness; she must walk alone in the black of her despair until she brings herself to walk in the light once more. In these shadows I cannot reach her, she does not see my hand, does not see my face or even hear my voice. She has foregone her shell and with it everything of her life, including myself. Her shell reclines in a posture of malaise- a haunting reminder of how easily she slipped away from me.

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Posted: November 28th, 2009
at 6:13pm by Koookiecrumbles

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Categories: art,contemporary,philosophy,art theory

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Allen Vandever art post "Shadow Dancer"

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Shadow Dancer Acrylic, Epoxy Resin by Allen Vandever

She no longer fears the light. She now revels in the colors being illuminated in her world in innumerable shapes and lines. She basks in its warmth reflecting off the contours of her body. She begins to dance, expressing the insurmountable bliss of this moment-this moment when she no longer cowers under the cold pressure of her shadow. She is finally at one with her dark celestial twin, merging their two worlds once rent asunder by ignorance and fear. She embraces her carnal sister and the world ceases to be bound.

This painting was not only a cornerstone for my work, but also represents a pivotal point in my understanding. This is the third version of this painting, and I find that with every version, I come closer to fully achieving expression of my vision-a vision of a world with endless capabilities made possible when we embrace all aspects of our beings-allowing our spirits to live, breathe, and create.

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Posted: November 25th, 2009
at 6:29pm by Koookiecrumbles

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Categories: art,contemporary,philosophy,art theory

Comments: 1 comment


Allen Vandever art post "Weight of the City"

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Weight of the City Acrylic, Epoxy Resin by Allen Vandever

She is bound and falling deeper into the chasm of her despair. The glow of the city lights illuminates this dark scene, making a display of her suffering as she falls deeper into the vast depths of loneliness. She goes down blind to the glorious vision of the world before her. She is stripped of control, but our heroine descends placidly, for she knows the entire city is underwater being pulled into the mouth of the same abyss.

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Posted: November 21st, 2009
at 7:21pm by Koookiecrumbles

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Categories: art,design,contemporary,art theory

Comments: 3 comments


Allen Vandever Art Post "Disco"

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Disco Acrylic, Epoxy Resin by Allen Vandever

I relinquish conscious control over my limbs, my mind drifts back into the periphery, allowing a primal call to create the motions of my body. The mind becomes quiet, and I behold the glorious interweaving patterns and colors breathing and colliding in vivid translucence. My skin ignites with burning energy, growing hotter and hotter until I burst into flames. My body extends out to the furthest reaches of the flames, where I burn even hotter, fueling the conflagration. Steadily, I become a pillar of flame, ascending higher and higher over the earth. And from this height, I have the vision of a million worlds.

When the mind and body ascend into another plane of sight and existence, the sensations are beyond what is conceivable in the existing material world, so the words fail me, and I can only describe it as ‘other-worldly.’ In my experience, I have been able to reach this lucidity through direct mental meditation-in a waking or dreaming state, indirect meditation-often brought upon by the trance-inducing power of sex or dance, and with the use of psychedelic drugs. All have played a profound role in weaving my transcendental experience, guiding me to realize the infinitely complex dimensions of the human mind and spirit.

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Posted: November 14th, 2009
at 12:57pm by Koookiecrumbles

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Categories: art,contemporary,philosophy,art theory

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Allen Vandever art post "Wind Dancer"

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Wind Dancer AAcrylic, Epoxy Resin by Allen Vandever
I have painted her in my presence many times before, but only through solitary reflection have I been able to capture the haunting mystery of my muse's gaze. AOnly in quiet brushstrokes have I been able to capture the contours of her hips and the curvature of her waist, merging in the hypnosis of her dance. AThe rhythm pulls her this way, then that, the richness of sound is given form through the motions of her arms and the swaying of her shoulders. AShe flows like a willow tree in the wind, her body submitting to the elemental forces. ABut, as she manifests an image of the music, her face is languidly detached, unaware of the power of her loins and the art in her movement.
When she looks upon her reflection she does not see the vast countryside spanning unhindered over the plains of her neck, down her collarbone, through her sternum. AShe does not notice her amber-glowing skin stretched across the lines of her being, like a hide stretched across the body of a drum, stirring her into life. AShe has a strange fixation, a birthmark, as much a part of her as her nose and lips, but to her a curse confining her in isolation. AHer body has the power to make even humdrum pieces of music profoundly brilliant, but I will forever contemplate her eyes, which have the power to express her lonely struggle and the quiet despair of her soul.

Wind Dancer Acrylic, Epoxy Resin by Allen Vandever

I have painted her in my presence many times before, but only through solitary reflection have I been able to capture the haunting mystery of my muse’s gaze. Only in quiet brushstrokes have I been able to capture the contours of her hips and the curvature of her waist, merging in the hypnosis of her dance. The rhythm pulls her this way, then that, the richness of sound is given form through the motions of her arms and the swaying of her shoulders. She flows like a willow tree in the wind, her body submitting to the elemental forces. But, as she manifests an image of the music, her face is languidly detached, unaware of the power of her loins and the art in her movement.

When she looks upon her reflection she does not see the vast countryside spanning unhindered over the plains of her neck, down her collarbone, through her sternum. She does not notice her amber-glowing skin stretched across the lines of her being, like a hide stretched across the body of a drum, stirring her into life. She has a strange fixation, a birthmark, as much a part of her as her nose and lips, but to her a curse confining her in isolation. Her body has the power to make even humdrum pieces of music profoundly brilliant, but I will forever contemplate her eyes, which have the power to express her lonely struggle and the quiet despair of her soul.

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Posted: November 11th, 2009
at 12:10pm by Koookiecrumbles

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Categories: art,contemporary,philosophy,art theory

Comments: 2 comments


Chicago Art Show

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An Exhibition of Selected Works by Allen Vandever

Friday, November 13th 2009

Begins 6 pm, but will most likely extend late into the evening

Caffe Baci - 225 W Wacker (West & slightly North of "L" and subway stops on Lake St)

Free Admission, 21+ Drinks available, but at an additional charge

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Posted: November 10th, 2009
at 7:31pm by Koookiecrumbles

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Categories: art,events

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Allen Vandever art post "Self-Punishment"

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Self-Punishment Acrylic, Epoxy Resin by Allen Vandever

This painting captures a moment when conscious and subconscious thought, converge in a lucid-dream state. The forest is vibrant with life and natural splendor, desires frolic naked among the trees, but a ghostly oppressor strikes disguised in the colors and forms of our heroine’s dream. Disgusting girl! Your thoughts are depraved, vile, animalistic! So powerful is the sadist-translucent that we cannot escape its grip even in our dreams. This frustration, pain, and fear of punishment deny us the ecstasy of fulfilling our true desires. Often, it is subtler, simply preventing us from discovering what our desires truly are.

When I think upon the progress of Modern Man, I am mesmerized by our accomplishments, but through our society’s progress many of our values have taken on the status of rigid, factual nomenclature, limiting the possibilities of personalized self-discovery. This translucent boundary prevents us from freely creating and exploring dimensions for our own experiences, stifling our potential to bring further enlightenment to the collective conscience. As creatures amidst our own modernity, we cannot be blind-sighted by relative comfort; we must continue the struggle for progress. So, in my pursuit to bring this struggle to light, I embarked on this painting hoping to portray how beautiful such freedom could be.


Self-Punishment AAcrylic, Epoxy Resin by Allen Vandever
This painting captures a moment when conscious and subconscious thought, converge in a lucid-dream state. AThe forest is vibrant with life and natural splendor, desires frolic naked among the trees, but a ghostly oppressor strikes disguised in the colors and forms of our heroine's dream. ADisgusting girl! AYour thoughts are depraved, vile, animalistic! ASo powerful is the sadist-translucent that we cannot escape its grip even in our dreams. AThis frustration, pain, and fear of punishment deny us the ecstasy of fulfilling our true desires. AOften, it is subtler, simply preventing us from discovering what our desires truly are.
When I think upon the progress of Modern Man, I am mesmerized by our accomplishments, but through our society's progress many of our values have taken on the status of rigid, factual nomenclature, limiting the possibilities of personalized self-discovery. AThis translucent boundary prevents us from freely creating and exploring dimensions for our own experiences, stifling our potential to bring further enlightenment to the collective conscience. AAs creatures amidst our own modernity, we cannot be blind-sighted by relative comfort; we must continue the struggle for progress. ASo, in my pursuit to bring this struggle to light, I embarked on this painting hoping to portray how beautiful such freedom could be.

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Posted: November 7th, 2009
at 6:10pm by Koookiecrumbles

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Categories: myninjaplease,art,contemporary,philosophy,art theory

Comments: 1 comment


Allen Vandever art post "Dream Lover"

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Dream Lover Acrylic, Epoxy Resin by Allen Vandever
This if one of my first successful dream paintings. I feel as though it accurately captures the essence of the woman who inhabits all my dreams, present since pre-pubescence. Her persona is amorphous. She is a confidant, friend, and ever-different but always recognizable lover. She knows and is every woman I have ever loved, so perhaps, the only woman I have ever loved. This painting is my attempt to express her divinity to the realm of the world without dreams. Often, I find her there, standing beside me, her face similar to mine, filled with the glow of every color.
Sono io in the feminine form, Beatrice herself, and I, Virgil. A self-portrait of a kind, an understanding finally grasped after further introspection and analysis. My dreams move me to paint; painting urges me to reflect through the pen. To write about such things is to lose one?s self in the silence of exploring the mind, exploring what it means to be a human being living somewhere within the expansive range of self and humanity. This sequence of events illustrates the importance of the process of self-analysis, also teaching us that knowledge is boundless.

Dream Lover Acrylic, Epoxy Resin by Allen Vandever

This is one of my first successful dream paintings. I feel as though it accurately captures the essence of the woman who inhabits all my dreams, present since pre-pubescence. Her persona is amorphous. She is a confidant, friend, and ever-different but always recognizable lover. She knows and is every woman I have ever loved, so perhaps, the only woman I have ever loved. This painting is my attempt to express her divinity to the realm of the world without dreams. Often, I find her there, standing beside me, her face similar to mine, filled with the glow of every color.

Sono io in the feminine form, Beatrice herself, and I, Virgil. A self-portrait of a kind, an understanding finally grasped after further introspection and analysis. My dreams move me to paint; painting urges me to reflect through the pen. To write about such things is to lose one’s self in the silence of exploring the mind, exploring what it means to be a human being living somewhere within the expansive range of self and humanity. This sequence of events illustrates the importance of the process of self-analysis, also teaching us that knowledge is boundless.

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Posted: November 4th, 2009
at 10:03am by Koookiecrumbles

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Categories: art,contemporary,art theory

Comments: 4 comments


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