By Bonnie Gangelhoff
In GLOBE, Allen Garns offers viewers a portrayal of an old movie theater in downtown Los Angeles. The painting sprung from reference photographs and drawings he had made and saved 20 years ago. “I have a real feeling for L.A. because I used to visit my father at the fire department downtown when he was a firefighter,” says Garns. “I like urban scenes and the geometrics that happen within the city imagery.”
Garns recalls that his parents once gave him a book of the world’s 100 most beautiful paintings, and one in particular stood out—SEVEN A.M. by Edward Hopper. The painting depicts a small-town storefront from another era. “The appeal for me has to do with the quality of light and the solitary feeling. My aesthetic still responds to that,” says the artist. Garns graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. Today he lives in Arizona and is represented by Scottsdale Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ, and www.allengarns.com.
Featured in our annual “21 Over 31” issue in November 2009