Meet Allester Vinteers: Visual Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Allester Vinteers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Allester, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
My earliest memory is of me at 3 years old coloring in a circle with a scarlet crayon. I’ve always had an affinity for creating art ever since I was little. I would draw on anything I could get my hands on from the back of discarded cardboard boxes to my classmates’ papers when our teacher would have us grade them. I also didn’t know English when I began attending school in the United States, so my English teacher would let me illustrate my assignments. At the age of 9, I would often ponder what I wanted to do with my life. The choice was always between someone who cared for animals or an artist. I convinced myself that the only life worth living would be a difficult one to achieve and also a magical one; That life would be one of an artist. Approximately 3 million years ago, a distant ancestor of ours discovered a jasperite pebble that resembled their face near a body of water. They carried this pebble all the way back to their cave and kept it until death. This object is now considered the 1st Artwork. Art is something primordial, intrinsic, and at the very fiber of who we are as human beings. The role of an artist is to carry this torch with the discipline and dedication of an athlete and the vulnerability and introspection of an arhat. In this modern age, many people are starving with a deep imbalance in this area. As an artist, I like to actively inspire creativity in others. I love that I get to make a difference in the world just by being myself, and it humbles me deeply.    

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work so far has dealt with the old and primordial, the dream and spirit world, important truths, myth-making, and events in my life that have impacted me. The fox, for example, is my spirit guide. It has shown itself in many of my dreams to give me important information. The phoenix theme was inspired by a reoccurring nightmare I used to have when I was a toddler, where I would drown over and over again until one day I surged up into the sky from underneath the water as a phoenix. The mythic shell-like sculptures are all about my brokenness and how it has allowed me to find the deeper enduring spirit. My works on paper series of the burning of the Cathedral of Notre Dame express the grief and pain I felt when I saw the news. I saw it as an attack on our humanity. Notre Dame is a well known and beloved structure. Its admiration connects us as people through time and beyond nationality and religion. It stands as a testament that we are capable of creating great and beautiful things. These are just a few examples of what my art is about. What sets me apart from others is that my art extends past just my paintings and sculptures. My art is the way I live my life entirely; from the way I dress to the words I speak to the visions I hold for the future. My friends always joke that I’m not easy to forget and I know that I’ve gotten to where I am now by being authentic and conquering any fears of inadequacy and rejection, and also by moving along with a spirit of adventure. You have to be curious about the world, and allow for other people to discover you as well. I’ve learned to not let myself be put inside a little circle, to let the world be my circle. I’ve also learned not to be a cup that tips, but to instead be one that overfills.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I know we would eat at Brewed, Spiral Diner, Taste Community Restaurant, Waters Restaurant, Black Cat Pizza, The flying Carpet Turkish Cafe’, El Rincon Jarocho seafood, Oni Ramen, Cafe Modern, Szechuan, Sushi Axiom, all in Fort Worth. In Dallas, we would eat at the Cosmic Cafe, and we would visit Irving to eat at Bombay Chowpatty. I want to note that we would also eat at the famous Bird Cafe in Downtown Fort Worth if the pandemic hadn’t forced it to shut down. We all loved that place. For tea and coffee, we would go to Avoca Coffee, Buon Giorno andTea2Go in Fort Worth. We would visit Union Coffee and have high tea at the French Rococo room of the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas. To drink we might visit Acre Distilling Co. and Thompson’s Bookstore in Fort Worth. Also, La Sangre Muerta in Arlington, and Las Almas Rotas in Dallas. We would definitely Visit the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, The Kimbell Art Museum, The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, Bass Performance Hall, The Fort Worth Zoo, the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, the Fort Worth Water Gardens, Sundance Square, Scat Lounge, West 7th, Magnolia Street, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center, the Crow Museum of Asian Art, the Meadows Museum, the Dallas Contemporary, all the galleries on Dragon Street, the Rachofsky Warehouse, The Church Dallas club, and all the insane Art Deco, Beaux-Arts, Gothic Revival, and Post-Modern architecture there is around the DFW. There is honestly so much to do in the DFW, this is just a long shortlist.   

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First, I would like to give credit and thanks to all of my patrons. Not only does your purchase provide a loving home for my work and back it with serious market value, it also makes me feel loved and valued because it reaffirms that what I do matters. One of my favorite things is when I’m at an art show and patrons ask me to talk to them about my work. I love sharing the stories and messages behind my art and listening to what it means to them and how my work affects them. Often, it leads to a deep conversation and we both walk away with something enriching and thought-provoking about the piece. Thank you for caring about my work and continuing to support me. Next, I would like to thank my mentors, especially Deran Wright and Jo Dufo, because they have been the most supportive of me in my artist journey. There are many cruel gatekeepers in the art world who are often all head and no heart, and then there are those who live with grace and actively inspire and support the next generation of artists. I also thank my collaborators past, present, and future, like my friends Kimberly Cecil and Shane Green. Getting to collaborate with other artists and organizations fosters relationships and helps bring something completely new to the table. Lastly, I would like to thank all of the organizations who have allowed me to show and sell my work in the past because they want to support me, namely Historic Fort Worth, Fort Worth Fire Feats, House of Iconoclasts, FWCAC, Arts Google, Foxy Productions, BeArtSee, and Art Tooth.

Website: allestervinteers.com
Instagram: instagram.com/allestervinteers

Image Credits
Areli Estrada