Jerry Allen is a Canadian artist based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He specializes in painting and drawing. Over the past 15 years, his artwork explores metaphors of time. These works draw inspiration from collective memory and the rhythms of monthly time. A cornerstone of Allen’s oeuvre is the ‘Timeline’ series. This production employs a color field painting history. It structures exceptionally vibrant hues across horizontal planes. A sensitive and meditative approach marks this group of paintings with deeply layered textures. While naturally expanding from landscape or seascape horizons, these artworks appear much closer to metaphysical phenomena. The consistent horizon and the reference to colour choices seem more aligned with phenomena experienced in the mind. In this way, the colored line is grounded in beauty. It recalls how improvisation in modern abstract art was initially interpreted through music. However, what is unique and contemporary in Allen’s work is how he seeks to symbolize time further. He links natural life cycles and distant planetary rhythms to our historical record.

Allen holds a BFA in painting from Concordia University in Montreal and an MFA in painting from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Allen was a BC Arts Council Academic Scholar at UBC and a BC Binning Memorial Fellow. Allen’s work has been exhibited across Canada. Several public collections hold his work, including the UBC+VGH Foundation, the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, the Trylowsky Collection, and the Vancouver Art Gallery. Numerous private collections have acquired his work globally.