CRYPTID is a term often used for creatures whose existence has been suggested but has not been scientifically documented. It is a term that seemed fitting to describe the world that has taken shape in recent years featuring the independent artwork of ALLEN DOUGLAS, depicting animals in both a familiar and unexpected way. He often turns to folklore for the concepts of his work and distorts size relationships, environments, or animals themselves to create visions that are truly unique, while at the same time paying homage to animals' natural physical attributes and behaviors. To a lesser extent he also creates paintings of animals as they exist today in their natural environment... sometimes the creatures of planet Earth need no embellishment. He combines his affinity for nature with what he has been painting professionally since 1994... fantasy illustration for the publishing and gaming industries.
Educated at Syracuse University, he has created paintings for many notable book publishing, editorial, and gaming clients including Penguin Putnam, Tor, Berkley, Random House, Scholastic, HarperCollins, Harcourt, Little Brown, Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, Disney Hyperion, Bookspan, Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro, Upper Deck, Weekly Reader, the Village Voice, and Realms of Fantasy. Additionally, his paintings have been exhibited in galleries and museums both in the United States and Internationally, including Gallery Nucleus, the Mazza Museum of International Art from Picture Books, the Society of Illustrators in New York and Los Angeles, and the Strong National Museum of Play. His artwork has been recognized by many prominent juried illustration competitions including Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, the Society of Illustrators of New York and Los Angeles, Art Renewal Center, Infected By Art, Ballistic Publishing and Step-By-Step Graphics. Allen also has been teaching at the Rochester Institute of Technology since 2003. His studio is located in Rochester, NY on the southern shores of Lake Ontario.