• BEYOND 20,000 HOURS…

    Since early 2010, under the name RWAllenartworks, London born Australian Rich Allen has been travelling a path of practice in pursuit of mastery. His single minded theme is INTIMISM, capturing a fleeting moment.

    All his time is process-driven and continues to be both recorded and charted. Having completed two self-set scopes of 10,000 hours as APPRENTICE and JOURNEYMAN, Rich is currently engaged in a third, and is comfortable with the title ARTISAN.

  • In pursuit of mastery

    My work is simply about a measured journey, best expressed through the following definition by Aikido master and author George Leonard.

    “Mastery: the mysterious process during which what is at first difficult, becomes progressively easier and more pleasurable through practice.”

    COMMITMENT – ORDER – FLOW – SURRENDER are currently the four ‘pivotals’ of my practice in pursuit.

  • Commitment

    The underlying principles of my approach continue to be based on single-mindedness and dedication to process, propelled by a certainty of inner conviction.

    This conviction is fuelled by deep desire and belief, gradually acquired advancement of skills and increasing awareness. Anticipation of inspiration and trusting the mystery, collectively serve to assist in a better understanding of the world, and my place in it.

    Hokusai 1760 – 1849

  • Order

    Embracing and enjoying process is fundamental, with all my initial activities founded on principles of discipline, structure and organisation.

    Geometric construction, grids and tilings, repetition, familiarity and prescriptive tasks are all vital tools as I continue to travel plateaus of pure practice, while acknowledging elements of incremental progress (brief ‘spells’) as they occur.

  • Flow

    Through anticipation of inspiration, rhythms of ritual practice have slowly emerged through time, and have resulted in a greater fluidity with my methods of working.

    Harnessing growth in self-confidence allows me to venture outside my comfort zone. I have become more instinctive and intuitive, focussing on the present with increased mindfulness. This has advanced the sense of purpose that: “This is what I should be doing.”

  • Surrender

    Surrender is all about letting go, achieved by stepping beyond existing proficiencies to engage with and nurture uncertainty, and embracing elements of risk.

    The video featured on this page presents a performance of three ‘pivotals of practice’: order – flow – surrender. Each carries an interpretative moniker: symmetry – asymmetry – immersion, and the piece concludes with a final, untitled movement, which is perhaps the signifier for a future direction of practice.

    NURTURE RISK. TRUST PROCESS.