Water color paintings first sparked Southern Illinois University Edwardsville senior Sutton Allen’s passion for the arts at a young age. That passion intensified during visits to the St. Louis Art Museum, where the then teenager says he fell in love with 19th and 20th century European paintings.
Now, Allen, of Highland, is an aspiring artist pursuing a bachelor’s in fine arts with a focus on painting and a minor in art history in the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).
“My specific area of interest is in oil paintings,” Allen explained, “but, I work in drawing an equal amount. Other areas I work in are sculpture and printmaking.”
Fresh off a summer filled with inspiring New York City art residencies, supported by the CAS, Allen’s latest creations are on display through Sunday, Oct. 6 at Youth Education and Health in Soulard (YEHS), located at 1924 S. 12 St. in St. Louis. His exhibition showcases several works that he made in and as a response to his time in New York.
Allen’s summer residencies allowed him, and fellow student Joseph Ovalle, of Collinsville, to learn and create works of art at the New York Academy of Art and the New York Studio School.
“Each of these programs presented us with an extended opportunity to participate in a larger context of art creation,” Allen said. “We developed our critical and theoretical capacities through conversation with top performing students and artists and our technical abilities through long, hard hours working in the studio.”
The New York Academy of Art program offered courses in life drawing, painting and sculpture, New York culture and art history. Additionally, Allen and classmates were given private studios to develop their works, and received critiques from faculty.
Known for its long history of educating east coast artists, the New York Studio School embraced a wide range of innovative approaches that pushed the students to their artistic limits.
Allen’s experience was partially funded by a $1,100 award from the CAS and the Department of Art and Design. The award assisted in paying for travel costs, art supplies and food. Additionally, Allen emphasizes that the Department of Art and Design’s Brigham Dimick, MFA, area head of drawing, and Jane Barrow, MFA, his faculty mentor and head of the painting program, provided the necessary connections to make the trip possible.
As a way of paying forward the support and kindness he’s received, Allen plans to donate 85 percent of the proceeds from his YEHS exhibit to Dunbar Elementary School in East St. Louis, where his mother teaches. Despite a lack of resources, Allen says his mother provides an extraordinary experience for her students by being incredibly innovative in laying a framework for her students’ success.
“The donation is in part an appreciation for her and her unwavering dedication to educating children,” Allen explained. “I have been fortunate to receive a great deal of support from my friends, family, community and university in my artistic pursuits and felt it necessary to give back.”
Upon graduation, Allen hopes to attend a strong graduate program where he can continue to be challenged in pivotal ways that develop his critical and technical capacities, and build relationships with art institutions from the community to the international level.
To see more of Allen’s work and follow his artistic journey, please visit him on Instagram. (I like how you worded this!)
Photos: SIUE senior art student Sutton Allen chats with CAS Dean Greg Budzban during the opening of Allen’s exhibit at the Youth Education and Health in Soulard.
SIUE senior Sutton Allen visits with an attendee during his exhibit at the Youth Education and Health in Soulard. His paintings are displayed in the background.