I have a major art crush on John McAllister. I found him on Instagram, when I started using it a few years ago. At that time, I was getting back into painting daily after taking a break after I became a mother. Like all major crushes, I use the internet to stalk his new works regularly. The scope of his work is inspiring as well as the unique quality of his work. He is an unusual voice in the art world and seems to operate unaffected by trends, but in a place that he describes as, "Serious about making beautiful paintings." A fellow Art Center Alum, John McAllister, seems to be lost in the same dream-like space that I imagine myself to be. Wandering in the work of the 19th century colorists, John McAllister unabashedly uses color to transport the viewer away from nature to the illusory space. John McAllister's color palette is magical and perhaps the most inspiring aspect of his work. Although the color is fantasized, the color choices seem to be naturally placed and intended for each location. There is an ease and spontaneity to his work that makes it appear as though that is what nature intended it to be, like a found object. It is that subtlety that is so ethereal and intangible which I highly covet. That is what I am searching for, the connection to a nonexistent sphere that allows you to rest inside the painting and wonder if it is real. Maybe someday, I will get there, but for now I long to be like John McAllister, unfettered by the outside world, living in my own imagination.
Tell me, whose art do you love?
To learn more about John McAllister's work:
