MARCUS McALLISTER
Marcus McAllister combines painting, drawing, and illustrative techniques to create layered and dreamy compositions. He’s always drawing. Always. For over 30 years, the artist has carried a sketchbook everywhere he goes. Those books, now overflowing his shelves, are stuffed with his own stream of consciousness, wherever that lead. Patterns emerge, characters rise and fall into memory, and notions of space and time are suspended. His work in the sketchbooks gave rise to the mixed media works on canvas which in turn gave rise to more work in the books. With this exhibition, he explores animal forms and ruminates on the cultural and literary meaning behind some of the most familiar among them.
“Secret gifts lie deep within each of us, out of reach of thought or word. These treasures hide in our guts and heart and skin and manifest in intuitions, dreams, and visions.
The animal assistants common to fairy tales can help us reach this buried wisdom, when our busy minds do not drown out their messages. Those who will heed their advice, however, discover faithful companions waiting for our attention. Like a magician’s familiar, they connect us to our hidden strengths.” - McAllister
Marcus McAllister is a familiar face on the global art scene. Originally from Arkansas, McAllister now lives in Paris, France. He has shown his work around the world from Paris to New York and back to Baton Rouge. McAllister began an artistic journey after graduation that led him to many artistic endeavors that include an artist residency with the city of Beauvais and L’Ecume de jour and countless one man shows from the Parsons School of Design, Paris to Gallery 26 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Artist Member since 2005
BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS, LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
current works
earlier works
Acrylic on canvas
13" x 21"