“My goal in painting is to interpret my very personal reaction to a scene or event so that the viewer
also forms a reaction which – while not necessarily the same as mine – is no less personal.”
A pastelist, Mr. McAllister was, for many years, recognized as a watercolorist and printmaker. His switch to pastels came about gradually, after having used the medium for on-location reference sketches. When several collectors inquired about purchasing the pastel studies of the watercolors they had acquired, Mr. McAllister began to explore pastels as a finished medium. He first exhibited pastel works in 1988.
Mr. McAllister’s work is heavily influenced by the French and American Impressionists. He has also been influenced by the work of American master Edward Hopper and the work of Wolf Kahn. The choice of pastels as a primary medium is consistent with the techniques and interests of these influences. Combining the immediacy of drawing with the saturated color of pastels provides Mr. McAllister with a unique opportunity to explore a number of diverse painting subjects and styles.
Mr. McAllister has been exhibiting his fine arts work for over forty-five years. During that time he has exhibited in over 75 group exhibitions as well as being represented by several galleries. Additionally, he has had over a dozen one-person shows. His work is included in the collections of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio; the City of Wilmington Board of Education, Wilmington, Delaware; the Outer Banks Hospital, Nags Head, North Carolina; the Albemarle Regional Medical Center, Kitty Hawk, NC, as well as, numerous private collections throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Mr. McAllister was a founder of the annual Cruiser Olympia Benefit Art Show, Philadelphia, PA and is a Past President of the Philadelphia Sketch Club, America’s oldest continuously operating fine arts club. He was a founding member of the National Forum of Professional Artists, a member of the Dare County Arts Council, Dare County, North Carolina and The Pastel Society of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, of which he is an inactive Signature Member. He is presently a member of the Artists of Yardley, Yardley, PA and Chairman of the Artists of Todos Santos, Todos Santos, B.C.S., Mexico. He is also the arts coordinator for the Palapa Society, a bi-cultural community services organization, in Todos Santos, B.C.S., Mexico. He was a founding member of the KDH Cooperative Art Gallery, Kill Devil Hills, NC and was previously represented by over a dozen galleries including, Browning Art Works and Red Drum Pottery & Art Gallery both in Frisco, NC, and the Murex Gallery in Manteo, NC. He is presently represented by the Catskills Artists’ Gallery, Liberty, NY; Simply S.O.T.A, New Hope, PA; Visions, A Community Gallery, Todos Santos, B.C.S., Mexico; and Kaleos Gallery in La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico.
Mr. McAllister earned a BFA in Graphic Design from the High Museum School of Art, Atlanta, Georgia and attended the Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland Ohio and The University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware. He has also studied painting and printmaking privately. He has taught at the college level and in gallery and community art center programs, as well as, professional and educational workshops.
Mr. McAllister retired in 1999 after a 37-year career in creative marketing and product development, specializing in direct response marketing. He lives with his wife, Dr. Gail Athalie McAllister, Professor Emerita, School of Nursing, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ, in Yardley, PA and Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico. He maintains studios in both homes, which he shares with his wife, a jeweler and photographer. Mrs. McAllister is represented by the Catskill Artists’ Gallery, Liberty, NY and was previously represented by the Red Drum Pottery and Gallery in Frisco, NC; Zofia’s Gallery in Avon, NC and by Sea and Sounds Gallery in Manteo, NC. The McAllisters can be reached anytime by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Career Highlights:
●BFA from the High Museum School of Art, Atlanta, GA
●37 year career in marketing and direct mail advertising
●Fine art style influenced by the work of Edward Hopper, French and American Impressionists and the work of Wolf Kahn
●Over a dozen one-person shows and participated in over 75 group shows
●Presently represented by The Delaware River Gallery, Yardley, Pa; The Catskill Artists’ Gallery, Liberty, NY; Visions, A Community Gallery, Todos Santos, B.C.S., Mexico; El Caballette y la Uva, La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico and The Art Shop, La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico
●Founding member of KDH Gallery, Kill Devil Hills, NC; Signature member of the Pastel Society of North Carolina (inactive); Member of Artists of Yardley, Yardley, PA and Artists of Todos Santos, Todos Santos, B.C.S., Mexico
●Work in the collections of The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH; City of Wilmington Board of Education, Wilmington, DE; Outer Banks Hospital, Nags Head, NC; Albemarle Regional Medical Center, Kitty Hawk, NC, and numerous private collections throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico
●Past President of the Philadelphia Sketch Club; Past V.P. of the Artists of Yardley.
●Teacher at the college and professional school level.
●Guest speaker for high school and professional workshops
●Maintains studios in Yardley, PA and Todos Santos, B.C.S., Mexico with his wife, Gail, who is a jeweler, working in fused glass and beads and is also a photographer.
