S01 EP02 Renaissance Man + Outsider Artist | Dan Van Allen
Dan Van Allen is a self described Renaissance man and outsider artist who has created immersive environments ranging from tree houses and pagodas at art festivals, to an Inter-Tribal Pow Wow, to the 3 row houses he bought in the 80s and turned into a living museum of the bizarre! Dan sat down with Trixie to discuss furniture restoration, making time instead of money and about Baltimore’s current cultural Renaissance. Song: “Old World” by The Modern Lovers
SHOW NOTES
Check out Dan’s work on Sowebo Arts HERE
Arabbers Preservation Society HERE
Song: “Old World” by The Modern Lovers HERE
DAN’S ARTIST STATEMENT
“My work concerns the relationship between man and his environment. Rather than explore new uses for the latest industrial products I find it more relevant to explore uses for the massive waste inherent to our consumer society. In the past a large portion of my work has been made to create my own environment and includes interiors, art cars, boats and neighborhood parks. A tendency towards surrealism and mythology is a result of my striving to satisfy my innate desire to express the personal and collective unconsciousness, what I see as the spiritual world. My work is usually not intended as a commodity on our limited arts market place. My income for the most part comes from restoration. As a photographer I am interested in documenting the work of myself and others in a natural environment, exotic art, architecture , costumes...etc. I present these as slide travelogues. My paintings are designed as partially finished paint-by-numbers. “ -Dan Van Allen