Davida Allen

Her work is outstanding in the true sense of the word. It is so very different in style to any other artist of her day. Her palette is strong. The brushwork is heavy. There is a sense of urgency in the work. It is powerful and bold. She is an expressionist and her paintings depict the struggle between the individual and society. Her subjects are generally of her immediate environment including her family and herself. The artist is an ordinary woman and wife. In these roles she is continually struggling to retain her artist’s imagination while she is challenged by the ceaseless domestic demands made on her heart and mind and body…

Fantasy of Sam Neill

Allen was inspired by Expressionist painters, such as Emil Nolde, and the Fauves, a group of artists led by Henri Matisse whose works were characterised by brilliant color, expressive brushwork and a kind of primitive wildness. These influences are evident in Allen’s use of dark jagged forms, floating figures, truncated limbs and a paint surface so thick in parts that it is almost sculptural…

The real beauty of the energy is the possibility of surprise: an ingredient not only edible for the artist; it also awaits the taste buds of the audience. Be warned: there is a generous serving of chilli hiding in the pigment.