about

Liz Allen

Academic qualifications:
Art Foundation Course: Croydon College of Art and Design 1975-76
Bath Academy of Art, B.A. (Hons) Fine Art painting 1976-79

Liz Allen is an artist from Sevenoaks, UK. She left her hometown at 19 to study at Bath Academy of Art, after which she moved to London. Though intending to continue with painting, the necessity of earning a living took hold and painting was shelved for 14 years. During this time, Liz worked for the Arts Council and South Bank Centre in London, which possibly fed her desire to become a full time artist. In 1994, Liz moved to Brighton from London, and tired of commuting to London, left the job and began painting again. At first this was a slow process and her work from this early stage was mainly in monoprint and collage, inspired by travels to South America, India and Cuba.

In 2005, Liz moved from Brighton to Monchique in Portugal’s Algarve province, looking for a break from the materialism and stress of living in the UK. It was here that Liz’s painting style developed, aided by the quiet and remote location of her home studio, and the lack of distractions that seemed ever present in the UK.

The painting course at Bath favoured conceptual and analytical ways of working, which Liz found her new style of work had completely moved away from.

Liz´s paintings are more recently based on her experience of being immersed in and surrounded by nature in her home deep in the countryside near Monchique. Trees and landscape play a prominent part in her paintings, particularly the Cork Oak and ubiquitous Eucalyptus.

Liz begins her work by making sketches in situ, and refers to her sketches throughout the process of painting. Photographs are used as a backup source of reference at times.

As the painting progresses, colours are introduced which must find balance in the painting, to produce a dynamic yet harmonious outcome, reflecting the essence of the subject matter.

Liz’s particular use of colour, line and pattern make her work stand out as her own characteristically original and unique work.

Recent exhibitions include:

Hotel Penina, Portimao, 1-30 April 2022
Museum of Faro, Artists for Hope, 11 June – 28 August 2022
Hotel Vale d’El Rei, Porches, Algarve, July 15-31 2022