{"title":"From the Artist's Collection","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"earth-from-space","title":"\"Meditation on Earth\" 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMeditation on Earth (2022)\u003c\/em\u003e is a one-of-a-kind wall work by New Zealand artist John Allen — a piece of extraordinary scale, material, and contemplative depth. At 700 × 700 mm and approximately 30 kg, it is a substantial presence on any wall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the heart of the piece is a slab of limestone from Turkey that does something remarkable: it looks exactly like a black and white photograph of the Earth from space. Vast expanses of landscape are visible in its surface — rivers, valleys, mountains, plains, the slow geography of a world seen from above. The stone carries within it the record of millions of years of geological time, compressed into a surface that reads, at a glance, like an image of the whole planet. To look at it is to feel the scale of the Earth — and your own smallness within it — with alarming yet quiet clarity i.e. with a smile.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlaced within the composition in accordance with the golden ratio — that ancient proportion found throughout nature and art — a tiny white river stone from the South Island of New Zealand provides a focal point. It is a starting place and a stopping place: a small, bright mark from which the eye departs on its journey across the limestone landscape, and to which it returns. It anchors the vastness. It gives the viewer somewhere to stand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe kauri frame is built in the manner of a Japanese Zen garden wall — with an overhanging roof and a surround that evokes the viewing platform from which a traditional garden is contemplated. The mat board is cut around the stone in a way that deepens this reference, framing the limestone as a garden is framed — as something to be entered slowly, with full attention.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMeditation on Earth\u003c\/em\u003e is an original artwork of rare geological beauty and philosophical scale — a piece that invites the viewer to contemplate the astonishing fact of the Earth itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTitle: \u003cem\u003eMeditation on Earth\u003c\/em\u003e (2022)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eArtist: John Allen\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaterials: Turkish limestone, South Island river stone, NZ kauri frame, hardwood, paint, oil, wax\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInspiration: Japanese Zen garden tradition; golden ratio\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDimensions: 700 × 700 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeight: Approx. 30 kg\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDisplay: Wall-hung (requires secure fixing)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCare: Indoor display recommended\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"JOHN ALLEN SCULPTOR","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52905397649568,"sku":null,"price":2500.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0685\/8172\/0224\/files\/Photoroom_20251010_154451.jpg?v=1760064603"},{"product_id":"contemplation-of-transience-2021","title":"\"Contemplation of Transience\" 2021","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContemplation of Transience (2021)\u003c\/em\u003e is a one-of-a-kind wall work by New Zealand artist John Allen — a piece of stunning presence, rare material, and quiet philosophical depth. Its subject is transience itself: the fact that everything passes, that nothing stays, and that this — far from being a cause for grief — is the very condition that makes beauty possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe puriri pieces that make up this composition come from a fallen tree on a Northland beach that the artist has known since childhood — a tree that appears in his earliest photographs, lying in the same place on the same sand, decade after decade. For more than fifty years it has been shaped by the sea, the sun, and the creatures of the shore. It is eaten away, hollowed, worn. And yet the wood retains its extraordinary dark green-gold colour — the deep, vibrant hue that very old puriri holds, full of life even in its weathering. This contrast is the subject of the piece: life and death, presence and erosion, the beauty of things that endure by changing. The puriri does not resist its transience. It embodies it — and in doing so, becomes more full of life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pine frame is built in the manner of a Japanese Zen garden wall — with a small roof covering the tops of the walls and a surround that evokes the viewing area from which a traditional garden is contemplated. You are not simply looking at the piece; you are positioned before it, as a visitor to a garden, invited to be still. Inside this frame, the puriri pieces are arranged on a painted hardboard ground. From the centre, light appears to radiate outward — a ray of time and presence, illuminating the weathered forms around it, as though the moment itself is glowing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTransience is not loss. It is the nature of all living things — the tide that shapes the shore, the light that moves across the day, the wood that gives itself to time and emerges more beautiful for it. To stand before this piece is to be invited into a moment of genuine contemplation: of what endures, what passes, and what it means to be fully here while we are.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eContemplation of Transience\u003c\/em\u003e is an original artwork of rare personal and philosophical depth — a profound and considered piece for a significant wall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTitle: \u003cem\u003eContemplation of Transience\u003c\/em\u003e (2021)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eArtist: John Allen\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaterials: Puriri (Northland beach, 50+ years weathered), painted hardboard, pine frame\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInspiration: Japanese Zen garden tradition\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDimensions: 600 × 400 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDisplay: Wall-hung\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCare: Indoor display recommended\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"JOHN ALLEN SCULPTOR","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52905699082400,"sku":null,"price":2200.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0685\/8172\/0224\/files\/Photoroom_20251010_161652.jpg?v=1760066909"},{"product_id":"circle-of-friends-2016","title":"\"Circle of Friends\" 2016","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCircle of Friends (2016)\u003c\/em\u003e is a monumental wall work by New Zealand artist John Allen — one of the most ambitious and spectacular pieces in the collection. At 1200 mm in diameter, it commands a wall with extraordinary presence, and would be at home in a corporate boardroom, a significant public space, or a grand private interior.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe story of this piece begins with a discovery. Walking the Northland coast, the artist found a rough piece of driftwood with an interesting shape and, on working with it, realised with astonishment that it was black maire — one of New Zealand’s rarest and most precious native timbers. Black maire is extraordinarily dense and hard, with a deep, dark lustre that is unlike any other New Zealand wood. To find it as driftwood, shaped by the sea, was a rare gift.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRather than work the timber as a single form, John Allen cut it into small pieces — each one different in size and shape — and then assembled them into a circle. It is not a perfect circle. The irregularity of the cut pieces means each contributes to the character of the whole - as you run your eye around it the form breathes and shifts. The insides of the pieces are painted, introducing colour into the composition. A copper inner rim runs around the interior, pulling the entire work together — a unifying line of warm metal that gives the circle its coherence and its glow. Aluminium elements behind each join provide structural strength, invisible but essential.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe title, \u003cem\u003eCircle of Friends\u003c\/em\u003e, speaks to the way the piece is made: many different pieces, each distinct, held together by a common bond. It is a work about community, about difference within unity, about the beauty of things that come together without losing their individuality — a resonant theme for any organisation that values people, collaboration, and connection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCircle of Friends\u003c\/em\u003e is an original artwork of rare material, rare scale, and rare depth — a once-in-a-lifetime piece for a significant space.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTitle: \u003cem\u003eCircle of Friends\u003c\/em\u003e (2016)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eArtist: John Allen\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaterials: Black maire driftwood (Northland), copper inner rim, aluminium, paint, oil\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDiameter: 1200 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDisplay: Wall-hung\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCare: Indoor display recommended\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"JOHN ALLEN SCULPTOR","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52930703130784,"sku":null,"price":5500.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0685\/8172\/0224\/files\/IMG_4641_jpeg.jpg?v=1760656072"},{"product_id":"essence-24-2026","title":"\"Essence 24\" 2026","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEssence 24 (2025)\u003c\/em\u003e is a larger-scale, one-of-a-kind sculptural work by New Zealand artist John Allen — a powerful and exceptional piece that brings together two very different natural materials in a single, commanding composition. Handcrafted from a pōhutukawa root salvaged from a fallen tree in Northland, the sculpture rises from an extraordinary base of polished South Island rock.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rock base is truly exceptional. Hard, dense, and full of character, its surface reveals tiny natural facets — evidence of the immense forces that formed it — yet it has been polished to a smooth, lustrous finish that invites the touch. The contrast between the raw, organic movement of the pōhutukawa root above and the refined, mineral stillness of the rock below creates a dialogue between the living and the geological, the dynamic and the enduring.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA small pebble, carefully placed beneath the base, provides the precise point of balance — a quiet, considered detail that speaks to the artist’s attention to detail in every element of the work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEssence 24\u003c\/em\u003e offers a lasting alternative to the fleeting — an original artwork made from reclaimed New Zealand native wood and stone that symbolises endurance, support, and deep-rooted connection. Entirely unique, this handcrafted sculpture is a personal and enduring expression of love, and an exceptional gift for someone truly special.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTitle: \u003cem\u003eEssence 24\u003c\/em\u003e (2026)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eArtist: John Allen\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaterials: Pōhutukawa roots (Northland), polished South Island rock\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFinish: Oil and wax (wood); polished (rock)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHeight: 400 mm | Width: 220 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCare: Indoor display recommended\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"JOHN ALLEN SCULPTOR","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52993880031392,"sku":null,"price":950.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0685\/8172\/0224\/files\/SunnyG-John-0545.jpg?v=1785389916"},{"product_id":"essence-26-2026","title":"\"Essence 26\" 2026","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEssence 26 (2026)\u003c\/em\u003e is a one-of-a-kind sculptural work by New Zealand artist John Allen — a piece that reaches across continents and millennia to bring together the ancient and the natural in a single, extraordinary composition. Handcrafted from a pōhutukawa root salvaged from a fallen tree at Langs Beach, Northland, the sculpture rises from a South Island river stone base upon which a spiral has been engraved by hand and highlighted with gold paint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe spiral is no arbitrary mark. It is inspired by the ancient spirals carved into the megalithic stones at Newgrange, Ireland — a passage tomb built around 3200 BCE, older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. Those spirals, carved by Neolithic hands more than five thousand years ago, are among the oldest known examples of human artistic expression. Here, that ancient symbol finds new life in New Zealand stone — its engraved channel filled with gold, catching the light and giving the mark a quiet luminosity that honours both its origin and its new home.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe river stone itself is a beautiful object — smoothed by water over countless years, its surface now carries both the memory of the river and the intention of the artist. Together with the organic strength and striking movement in the grain of the pōhutukawa root above, finished with natural oil and wax, the composition speaks of time, continuity, and the enduring human impulse to mark, to make, and to connect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEssence 26\u003c\/em\u003e is an original artwork of rare depth and resonance — a profoundly considered gift for someone truly special.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTitle: \u003cem\u003eEssence 26\u003c\/em\u003e (2026)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eArtist: John Allen\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaterials: Pōhutukawa root (Langs Beach, Northland), South Island river stone with gold-filled engraved spiral\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFinish: Oil and wax (wood); engraved and gold-filled (stone)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHeight: 360 mm | Width: 180 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCare: Indoor display recommended\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"JOHN ALLEN SCULPTOR","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58562067202208,"sku":null,"price":850.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0685\/8172\/0224\/files\/IMG_1337.jpg?v=1785397563"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.johnallensculptor.com\/collections\/shop-latest-creations.oembed","provider":"JOHN ALLEN SCULPTOR","version":"1.0","type":"link"}