Marty Allen

I'm Marty.

I make all kinds of stuff.

In doing so I wear a variety of hats, both literally and figuratively.

I tell stories using art, words, and sometimes a combination of the two.

I'm a writer, creative producer, visual artist, performer, teacher, and musician. An idea man, a jack-of-all-trades, a local kook. All of which often rolls into the proud and ancient role of storyteller.

I'm best known for making up The Sock Puppet Portraits, writing the related book, "Sock Puppet Madness," and for performing with rock band/art collective/giant monster/sock puppet, Uncle Monsterface. It's true, I do lots of other stuff, too, including (but not limited to) making really excellent sandwiches and walking my dog.

As an inter-disciplinary artist and creator, much of my work has a little story behind it. In my mind, I've built a giant world of stories that has co-evolved with my art and ideas using whatever medium(s) seemed appropriate or inspiring at the time. I'm fascinated by using characters, storytelling, narrative, world-building, and creativity itself as a metaphor and method for making sense of this crazy world we live in. I'm currently working on a book that ties many of the smaller stories into their larger context, The Seven Layers of Space.

I've had four published books (with a fifth coming November of 2018) and worked with cool folks like Nickelodeon, The Henson Foundation, Harry & The Potters, WGBH Boston, Barnes & Noble, Fab.com, Maker Faire, ZocDoc, many others, and mostly me, running my own business of art sales for nearly a decade.

I grew up near and in Boston, went to Mass Art as a SIM major, did a bunch of crazy stuff, and now I live in Brooklyn with my inspiring partner and our inspired dog, where I work as a freelance artist, author, and teacher, and keep and maintain no less than three hat racks, stands, or buckets.