BARDENE   ALLEN

These lively sculptures and paintings are created by Southern California artist, Bardene Allen. They are full of the movements and the joy of life. Bardene uses terra cotta clay and sometimes metal armatures or other various, mixed media parts to create her work. The clay is rolled out in large slabs and formed over crushed paper armatures, allowed to dry after the desired shape has been made and then fired in a kiln. After firing various parts are sometimes epoxied together and then the sculpture is painted much the same way an artist paints a flat canvas, but in this case the "canvas" is three dimensional.

Bardene's paintings are two dimensional expressions of her sculpture ideas. We see the same expressive use of paint to create motion and the feelings of joy. The large canvases draw the viewer into the scene represented. Sometimes the scene is the beach on a hot, sunny day where you feel the relaxing rays and the hot sand or still another picture pulls you into the center of a dance floor with it's vibrating music and spinning dancers.

Bardene's sculpture and paintings have been exhibited in museums, galleries and art venues in California, Arizona, and Oregon. She also has an Archive at the Smithsonian.