Fine Art by Allen Monsarrat, Knoxville, TN
His art education began with three years training in architecture but finished with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in pottery at the Memphis College of Art. His first art career was as a studio potter in Friendsville, Tn for 25 years.
That was followed by careers in decorative wall finishes, faux painting, cabinetry finishing and the occasional mural project. It was studying “trompe l’oeil” (fool the eye) imagery with French master craftsman Michel Nadai that nurtured his interest in creating representational art.
Never one to sit still, in 2009 he turned his attention to fine art painting in oils which first developed into a concentration on photorealism, paintings intended to look like photographs. Now his work is moving into a more expressive style that reveals the brush work that builds the image.