The "Please Touch The Art!" Story

Robert F. Allen and his work called Neon Dream attached
to the side of his panel truck.  Painting is 4'x8' in size.

It was an ordinary day.  Reading in a newspaper supplement about an art show at the Manheim Township library which I can see by waking out on my front porch.   Neat place that I have written about in the past where there is plenty of wall space to accomodate an art show the size described in the supplement.  Seems that Robert F. Allen, acrylic artist extrodinaire, has over 70 paintings that are spread throughout the expansive library.  So, I hopped in the car and headed to see exactly what this show offered.  

Five of his 70 plus paintings hanging in the library.

Now, if you're wondering why I didn't walk across the street to the library ..... well, the neighbors don't encourage the neighbor- hood to walk across their lawn to gain access and since I am a good neighbor, I drove to the parking lot next to the library.  As I entered the library, I was immediately greeted with brightly colored acrylic works of art.  

Three of his paintings that I did enjoy.  

If you have visited my blog before, you probably realize that I appreciate most type of artwork, both 2D and 3D, but I must admit, very few pieces I saw today would I buy.  I will admit that they were large; some as large as 4' x 8'.  Quite a few of the pieces had signs next to them that read, "Yes!  

"Meeting" is the name of this large print.  

You really CAN touch the art."  And so I did!  Many were hung low enough to allow the children at the library to touch them.  And, they were, snotty hands and all!  The artist, Robert Allen, grew up with his pet raccoon in a tiny cabin that he built behind his family home deep it the woods, 50 miles north of Syracuse, NY.  

Interesting textures abound in an acrylic painting and
people are invited to touch the work as I am doing.

He claims he is a self-taught artist from birth.  He earned a full ride to Syracuse University to study archi- tecture, but passed on that to enter the U.S. Marine Corps for eight years with tours of Japan, the Phillippines and the US.  

Many of his works such as this one titled
"Refraction" are too abstract to me.

Today he lives on 12 acres of woodland near the Susquehanna River with an art studio, a 150-year-old barn art gallery and a small cottage.  He shares his home with 100 large koi, 5 dogs and 8 tropical birds.  I'm so sorry I missed meeting him.  I will admit that I really did enjoy a few of his pieces; one titled "Meeting", a collection of colorful characters and another titled "The Last Supper" caught my eye.  His paintings that were entirely geometric shapes and lines of all colors didn't interest me.  If you care to see his work, Google him or stop at the library for a visit.  The show will be hung until the end of February.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "Last Supper" is also one of my favorites from his 70 plus paintings on display at the Manheim Township Public Library in Lancaster, PA.