By Amber Ford
The Mountain Times
When it comes to living amidst Mt. Hood National Forest and all of its beauty, local artists are never short of inspiration when it comes to their work. From the rolling hillsides, epic pastel skies and the snow covered mountain that residents call home, there is beauty in abundance, especially for local artist Sue Allen.
A resident of the Mt. Hood Villages since November of 1981, Allen has found inspiration for her work with each glance outside. A screen printer by trade, Allen has been creating works of art since the early 1970s. A printing technique where mesh is used to transfer ink or dye onto a substrate, screen printing is a most unique form of art and takes time, talent, skill and patience.
A graduate from The Cooper Union in New York City, Allen’s creativity began with her degree in architecture. “Just like my mother and her father, a prominent Philadelphia architect, I went to school to study architecture,” Allen said. “But I have studied printmaking and painting along the way,” Allen added. Allen has been surrounded by art most of her life. “My grandmother was a prominent artist in Philadelphia,” Allen said. Not only prominent and gifted in her field, Allen’s grandmother was part of an elite group of Philadelphia-based artists known as “The Philadelphia Ten.” Created to help women who wanted to move beyond the role of “art hobbyist,” the Philadelphia Ten played a pivotal part in giving female artists a platform to showcase their work as profession, traveling with their exhibitions to museums throughout the East Coast and the Midwest.
With her grandmother and other family members as inspiration for her creations, Allen’s screen printing has become a staple at several local businesses between the Mt. Hood Villages and Sandy. While screen printing is her passion, Allen also finds joy in other forms of art such as book arts and photography. Using this beloved mountain she calls home, Allen has found that creativity is born just a step out her front door. “Inspiration starts with Mt Hood and continues with nature and flowers,” Allen said. “In the past I created a suite of 12 screen prints around Mount Hood: 12 Months-12 directions, showing the sides and seasons of Mt Hood,” Allen added.
Crediting art as a means to keep her inspired and creative, Allen’s work is a unique collection of vignettes of the amazing community she calls home. For those interested in purchasing Allen’s work please visit www.sueallenstudio.ink.