Allan Simpson

Allan Simpson is a native of the Illinois River Valley and the prairies of northern Illinois.  He entered the field of fine arts through disciplined studies of the J.S. Bach tradition of music composition and performance and has enjoyed a number of appointments in choral conducting and professional singing.

A tour in the United States Air Force took him to the Pacific Rim and extensive travel and study of the garden architecture of Angkor-Watt, the city canal systems of Bangkok, rain forests and terraced crop fields of the Philippine Islands and Hawaii.  He also lived and studied in the western plains and mountains of North America.

His introduction to the plastic arts began with box construction recalling the style of Joseph Cornell.  Sustained studies in drawing and painting led him to the Art Students League of New York, where he was named the Frank Vincent Dumond scholar. His mentor, Will Barnet, encouraged him to develop printmaking and serigraph techniques.  Further study at the Printmaker's Workshop advanced his technical mastery and productivity in the print world: design, etching, lithography, and photographic work.