• Growing up in the small town of Dorchester, South Carolina, during the era of Jim Crow laws, Alvin’s artistic journey faced many challenges. Despite the lack of visual arts classes in his public school, Alvin’s parents arranged for him to take correspondence art courses in middle school. These early experiences ignited his passion for music, which carried through to college.

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• In 1979, he proudly earned his Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from South Carolina State College, with a strong focus on education. This laid the foundation for his career as a dedicated art teacher beginning in the Orangeburg county schools five years, then he served for an impressive thirty eight years before retiring with a total of forty three years. Through his artwork, Alvin strives to capture the strength, dedication, and interconnectedness of the people who inspire him. Spirituality, compassion, and empathy flow through every pastel stroke, creating images that resonate with viewers. After a brief period living in Orangeburg, he returned to his hometown of Dorchester in 1985. Over the years, he has had the honor of showcasing his work at various galleries throughout South Carolina, as well as briefly in North Carolina and Georgia. Some notable galleries include The Dr. N. Lee Morris Gallery, Waterfront Gallery, I.P. Stanback Museum, Penn Center, and The Columbia Museum of Art. His recognitions include winning first place at the Charleston Artist Guild Exhibit, Featured Artist for The Moja Arts Festival and Best in Show award at the Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibit. Today, Alvin resides in his beloved Dorchester, South Carolina with his family, enjoying the serenity of retirement after dedicating my life to teaching visual art in the public school system.

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Artist Statement

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• I explore emotions, ideas, and experiences and how or why they occur and reoccur. Recognizable images-sometimes subtle- allow the viewer to discover and interpret the work slowly. Mixed media, usually combining dyes, pastels, pencils, and collages, with pastels, as the dominant medium. I prefer working in series, by subject or theme, because I find it challenging to explore an idea with one artwork thoroughly. I enjoy combining the emotional with social and spiritual concepts. Images or portions of images are emphasized or diminished to encourage the viewer to explore and personally interpret the work. Colors are used as focal points to catch the eye and to engage the viewer. I'm a husband, father, public school art teacher, Sunday school teacher, and men's ministry leader. Informing or being informed gives birth to ideas, images, and compositions for my work. I participate in community art events and art guilds.

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• I enjoy when viewers get the message from my work. However, I get excited when the viewer is engaged enough to explore, analyze, and interpret my works in a personal way. The latter leads to discovering some idea or having an emotion which might be new or surprising.

• Alvin B Glen