Artist Engineers Whimsical Farm Machinery Art
Known around Santa Barbara in his dark jean overalls, Kyle was taught to draw by his father where he grew up on an 9-acre alfalfa farm in Blithe, California, and developed a love for tractors and other farm machinery. Kyle, a participant with UCP WORK, Inc. since 1990, remembers when WORK, Inc. was located in the building on Gutierrez and State, a vocational training and rehabilitation program for people with intellectual and physical disabilities. There he learned mostly assembly work, but his true passion was, and still is, in the fine arts. He loves to draw farm machinery and make clay tiles of Santa Barbara landmarks, and fortunately, Kyle gets to do it all at Santa Barbara Art Works (SBAW), a professional art studio and gallery offered to artists, like Kyle, through the services of UCP WORK, Inc. At SBAW, Kyle takes art classes three times a week and works on building his art portfolio. Additionally, he has learned how to market and commission his own work, some of which have been sold to downtown offices.
Kyle’s artwork can be described as whimsical and truly one-of-a-kind. In his early years, he started with pencil drawings of trucks, then evolved to tractors rendered in pen and ink. As his designs began to evolve, he added color, patterns, and backgrounds, created solely from his imagination. “I sometimes use toy models to get the basic look of the truck, but then I like to fill it in and color-code the engine fuel injectors, so that I know which goes to which.” Kyle's talent is engineering each tractor so that no two are alike and he can tell the viewer exactly what each mechanical part can do. When asked how he knows so much about farm machinery, he replied, “I used to drive tractors and take apart mowers. We had a Massey Ferguson 1655 Garden tractor…biggest one around…I fixed that one."
To view Kyle Allan's work at his first solo art exhibition, visit:
What: 1st Thursday, “The Whimsical World of Kyle Allan Designs”, Art Exhibition & Reception When: Thursday, August 1, 2019; 5:00 - 8:00PM.
Where: Santa Barbara Art Works, 28 E. Victoria St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101.
What: In collaboration with Downtown Santa Barbara 1st Thursday’s Art Gallery Events, Santa Barbara Art Works presents,“The Whimsical World of Kyle Allan Designs”, a Summer Art Collection of original, whimsical, design drawings from the creative imagination of resident artist, Kyle Allan. On display and for purchase will be Kyle Allan’s drawings from as far back as 40 years. Join us for sangria, hors d’oeuvres, and live vocalist, Beau Wilding.
