Allen Finkel lives in Fort Lauderdale with his husband, Ron, of thirty-nine years. In addition to being an artist, he is a psychotherapist and has been in practice for thirty-three years.
He and Ron have a twenty-one-year-old daughter who recently graduated from college. They are very proud of the young woman that she has become.
Allen grew up in a suburb of New York City and lived in Manhattan for sixteen years. For many reasons, he and his family have lived in several cities in the country, most recently in Ann Arbor, MI, for the past ten years.
He and Ron moved to Fort Lauderdale five months ago.
Reflection – $1200
Life of a Man – $900
About:
From the time that Allen created his first clay head at age eight for a Cub Scout puppet project, he has been in love with working. With clay.
This passion led him to study painting and sculpture in college, where he earned his BFA. After graduating, he quickly learned that making a living as an artist was not a viable plan for him, so he followed his other passion – being a psychotherapist.
Being a therapist for more than thirty years has informed Allen’s. He works as an artist, as he has learned about how life can weather all of us.
In his figurative work, he strives to portray the way that life’s joyful and painful experiences affect facial features and expressions.
Allen uses his work as a way to better connect to his emotions and he hopes that it will have the same effect on others.
Woman of the Dust Bowl – $900,
The works featured here are available for purchase directly through the Artist. The Artist makes 100% of the profit from the sale of the artwork, so this is a great time to support them while enhancing your art collection. The artist will directly pack and ship the product to you.
All works are original and signed by the artist!
Allen, we would love to know more about you; here are a few questions.
What is something you had to put off because of the pandemic that you have recently done or is on your list to do soon?
Working in solitude during the pandemic has helped me appreciate the
value of working among other artists. I currently work in a community
studio. I find that I am inspired by seeing the work of other artists and that our dialogue helps me develop my skills and knowledge base.
What does your art future hold for you?
In the short time I have lived in Fort Lauderdale, I have been encouraged and supported by the arts community. I hope to have my work on exhibit on a regular basis.
I believe that my core strength as an artist is my ability to portray intense emotion. I do that through integrating the use of a realistic portrayal of anatomy and the freedom to alter features in order to achieve what I want to
How do you keep yourself motivated?
My motivation to create my work stems from a commitment and belief that it is vitally important for us all to take a look internally so that we can attend to our passion, needs, and feelings. I believe that without having a means to focus in this direction, we are less human.
Name a famous artist that inspires you and one not yet famous artist you would like readers to know about.
I am most influenced by the German Expressionist movement. The artists that most inspire me are Kathe Kollwitz and Egon Schiele. A less famous contemporary artist that I am influenced by is Chris Evitts. He has the ability to turn dreams into powerful images and freedom not to be bogged down by what many think of as “good art.”
Is there a current or upcoming show or exhibit you want people to know about?
My work is currently on display at Hot Spots Gallery in Wilton Manors in the Trans Joy and Liberation show.
I will be teaching a workshop on November 19th in the ceramics studio where I do my work called “The Human Clay Face.” I hope that I will be conducting this workshop on a regular basis.
Let’s end with a fun fact about you.
I am a former competitive natural bodybuilder and took the overall title in the first LGBT+ competition in New York City in the mid-90s. I continue to live a fitness lifestyle, as I believe that it is one of the ways that I stay relatively sane.
