Artwork copyright Alan Moen. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Park Bench Series #4, 1979

Alan Moen
American (born 1948)

Location: Washington State Arts Commission, Olympia

About the Artwork

Artist Alan Moen created Park Bench Series #4 as part of a body of watercolors featuring park benches. He began the series by selecting ten random Seattle benches, and observing them over the course of a year. He took photos and rubbings of the benches, which informed his paintings and drawings. The series expanded to include other park benches in different cities. He notes that this particular piece "was inspired by a photograph of two of my students from Sheldon Jackson College in Alaska. The bench depicted is at the Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain, where I taught Spanish art history and culture in 1975."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Eastmont School District.

About the Artist

Northwest artist Alan Moen creates figurative paintings and drawings. Born in Seattle, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree and teaching certification from Seattle Pacific University in 1971. He received a Master of Arts degree in drawing and painting from Central Washington University in Ellensburg in 1974. He has served as an artist in Washington public schools, and as an instructor for Bellevue Art Museum School, among other institutions.