Insight Into the Work of Allan Storer

Allan Storer paints large abstract canvases for architects, interior designers and private clients. His influences include 20th. century abstract artists and the squeegee paintings of Gerhard Richter. He is a Master of Arts, Chelsea College of Art and Design: Bachelor of Arts, University Wales and a post graduate of Kings College. Extra Curricular includes studies at the Slade School of Fine Art: St. Ives Painting School and the Princes Drawing School, He is a member of the Hesketh Hubbard Art Society and Federation of British Artists. Storer’s work embraces abstract and figurative styles, painted in thick impasto oil or water based mixed media with palette knives, brushes and squeegees on to large canvases. He is a London and Cornwall based artist and sells predominantly in the UK. and USA. with an expanding market in the Middle East.

A:You are contemporary artist who works in oils. How would you describe your technique?
AS:
Well messy !! It is very difficult for me painting freely with oils to keep a clean working space and pristine appearance. Paint brushes, palette knives and squeegees are the tools of my trade along with substantial quantities of oil paint, white spirit and turpentine. Confusion and creativity work hand in hand. I think it is more or less a case of inspiration to order. My finished work is not pre-planned, it is more a repetition of building up and then destroying until a balance of colour or sense is attained, culminating in a chance outcome which will communicate something to somebody, somewhere. I try to keep it as objective as possible.

A:From life paintings to abstract oils, you have a diverse nature of subjects. What are the inspirations for your work and which artists influence you?
AS:
I haven’t put my finger on it yet. Inspiration is a kick start. I visited Montagne Sainte-Victoire in Aix-en-Provence a couple of years ago and understood Cezanne’s inspiration. Similarly when in St Ives I understand artists like Terry Frost and Patrick Heron. However the important question I believe is “what motivates, ” not ” what inspires”. A lot of creatives wrestle with the question of reassurance “that these things are not otherwise but thus” ( Nietzschean flavour) and to give meaning to life and objects. It is probably something like a search for God.

On a mental level I connect to a host of artists from 20th century Abstract Expressionists, to Tracy Emin and most importantly Gerhard Richter.

An artist once said to me “the world is full of clutter, so why should I add to it”. She had stopped painting. I think a lot about this statement; was she disillusioned or had she reached some plateau of inner contentment ? Mary Fedden when asked why she painted at such an old age, said “what else is there to do”. A truly creative response.

The inspiration for my work ? I’m still learning.

A:Your work has been widely exhibited across the UK and internationally including the USA, how has the evolution of your work changed over this time?
AS:
Figure drawing is arguably the most difficult subject an artist commonly encounters and was a good place to start. I also recognise human form as a honest statement of what is. As I move on in life I am not sure about anything, except that I am not sure about anything. A lot of what use to make sense no longer does; in the words of Picasso, “why should I make paintings that do?”

Obviously in this context I have a problem with academic art and realism. What is artificial and what is true? The truth of nature, its tones and colours is correct and proper, I do not want to put forward artificial representation as manufactured truth.

I always look for a glimpse of the abstract and I am qualifying this search with work that is devoid of image. The paintings are their own reality and communicate a different message to different viewers. This personal meaning has nothing to do with my interpretation of the way things are. I am anonymous, I do not wish to patronise.

A:What direction do you see yourself going in the future?
AS:I think I will carry on getting art done, and let everyone else decide whether it is good or bad or whether they love it or hate it. If people can see what they want to see in my work and I can attain Alberto Giacometti’s maxim “the object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity” I will be happy.

You can see more of Allan Storers work at www.allanstorer.com or contact the artist on astorerpainting@gmail.com

To see his listing in the Artists’ Directory in Aesthetica Magazine issue 59 pick up a copy at www.aestheticamagazine.com

Credit:
1. In My Minds Eye. 100cm x 100cm. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist
2. Should I Presume 140cm x 140 cm. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist