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Artist Statement:
Allan Chow was born in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He
graduated from the Kansas City
Art Institute in ‘01 with a
BFA in Illustration.
Allan is a full-time
designer/illustrator at The
Kansas City Star while
pursuing a Fine Art career at
the Leopold Gallery inKC,MO.
He is also...
Further Information
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Collections:
Overland Park Convention
Center, Kansas, USA
Kauffman Foundation
KU Medical Center, Kansas, USA
H&R Block Downtown
Headquarters, Kansas City,
MO...
Further Information
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One man Chow: Art student holds own
Graduate art student communicates through design, salsa dancing
By: Jennifer Bhargava
Issue date: 9/6/05 Section: Culture
Life is never dull for Allan Chow.
"I have so much going on that I never get bored," said Chow.
The 26-year-old University of Missouri-Kansas City graduate art student keeps busy with painting, drawing, designing and illustrating.
In the spring of 2001, he helped Assistant Art & Art History Professor Paul Tosh create a student design agency called Egghead Student Design.
"[Professor Tosh] kept telling me how much potential I have as a designer even though I knew very little," said Chow. "Then one semester, I had the honor to help him start [Egghead] which gives students the experience they need to start making a living as an artist after college."
Tosh is grateful for Chow's involvement with the program and agrees his help is beneficial to aspiring artists.
"[Chow] has been the principal art director, after myself, for Egghead, the student design agency, and has done much to help develop young students as designers and shape the group as an agency."
Besides obtaining his masters in art, he is also a full-time illustrator and designer for The Kansas City Star. It is a job he obtained a little over a year ago and appreciates very much.
"I enjoy helping to provide news to readers in the most interesting and efficient way," said Chow. "I get to take a story and provide artwork as visual guides to enhance their imagination as they read."
Having a full-time job at The Star and running a design agency are accomplishments for the young man, who dreamt of being an artist since childhood.
Chow was born in Malaysia but moved to the United States with his family in 1993, when he was 14.
"I didn't have a choice, but I was glad to be [in the United States]," said Chow. "I really enjoy traveling."
Inspired by the beauty of the world around him, Chow found a love for art. It was a passion his family encouraged.
"I am the only artist in the family," said Chow. "I am fortunate to have such supportive parents even though they know artists have a starving reputation."
His talent led him to attend the Kansas City Art Institute, where he received a BFA in illustration.
Since he arrived at UMKC, Chow feels he has grown as an artist.
"In the last two years I realized that my intuition helps inspire my work," said Chow. "Most of the time, I compose images in my head or images I see or take with a camera and put them down on the canvas. Then, I just let the emotions take me wherever it wants to go."
However, art is not Chow's only talent.
When he puts down his paintbrush, Chow gets his groove on.
"Whenever I get stressed, I turn to salsa dancing," said Chow. "It's what I do when I want to get away from art."
Chow's interest in salsa dance began after he graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute and was looking for something unique and fun to pass time.
"My friends and I ran out of movies to go see," explained Chow.
The college graduate took lessons from the Latin Rhythm Dance production and soon realized a new talent.
"After two years of social dancing and taking classes from the dance company, I was told that I was ready and was invited to joined Latin Rhythm Dance productions," said Chow.
Now an accomplished salsa dancer, Allan has showcased his skills at major events, including Fiesta of the Heartland 2003, American Jazz Museum, 2004 Chicago Salsa Congress, 2003 Miss Latina Pageant and 2005 Miss Latina Kansas pageant. This week he will perform at 2005 Dance in the Park.
"It [is] an honor to share a stage with the greatest salsa dancers or dancers from all over the world," said Chow. "I still get nervous but lately it's been better. The more fun I have out there, the calmer I get."
As much as he loves salsa dancing, Chow's heart belongs to art. It is an enthusiasm he hopes to pass along to other generations.
"I want to teach art because I need interaction with people, especially students," said Chow. "Teaching forces me articulate what I do and that helps me grow as an artist. I enjoy sharing the joy, love and passion of art with students of all ages."
For now, Chow is content to have his artwork displayed at various shows. His latest show will be held this Friday at the Leopold Gallery.
"Showing my work in the gallery is really my number one passion because this is where I paint freely and paint exactly what inspires me," said Chow. "No one is art directing my work except myself. It's a balance to the commercial side of my art career."
Although Chow's family will not be able to attend the opening, his friends at UMKC are going to show their support.
Tosh is proud of Chow's hard work and will be at the show as well.
"Allan is an outstanding artist, both as an illustrator and as a painter," said Tosh. "He has a great sense of his subject matter and how to interpret it. His painting style harks back to the best of the impressionist painters and he has a keen sense of color and how it best creates the best interpretation of mood and emotional content."
Chow's one-man show at Leopold Gallery, located at 55th and Brookside, opens Sept. 9 and will run for one week.
jbhargava@unews.com
http://www.unews.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=d42fff87-16cb-4a03-a77c-c882b3ff221e
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