Picasso Has Nothing on Alan Pardue

You never know where you will meet an artist.

For me, it was at Ashton Brosnaham Dog Park, where my husband and I bring our dog, Hal. It was obvious the first time we went and met Bruno’s human dad, Alan Pardue, we saw he too was the leader of the human pack, all pun intended, like Bruno.

(Photo: Alan Pardue and his four-legged son Bruno at Ashton Brosnaham Dog Park)

The local veteran has a confident yet humble air among the clan of dog owners, who get a gratis portrait of their dog from the artist. When Pardue asked me if I wanted a portrait of Hal, short for “Hallow Be Thy Name,” I said yes immediately.

That gesture is par for the dog park, with nearly every local dog owner having a personalized portrait of their pooch seen below.

(Photo: Elijah, a.k.a, Eli)

(Photo: Nyla)

(Photo: Ursula)

(Photo: Minny)

But it’s not just about dogs.  

Pardue Gallery on Facebook offers a glimpse into the local artist’s mind’s eye, with subjects ranging from angelic beings on canvas to hummingbirds on the back of a raw iron frying pan. And of course, animals. From dogs to elephants and many living creatures in between, the local artist's undeniable attention to detail is evident in all his work.

“My grandfather, he was actually an orphan and a hobo,” Pardue said. “He would walk along the railroads and would find wood and paint paintings on them and sell them.”

From rags to riches, “he ended up dying fairly wealthy,” Pardue said of his father’s father. In the family DNA, with the artist’s dad and brothers owning a sign shop, “my dad never sold a lot of paintings,” Pardue said.

Growing up around art led Pardue to major in Fine Arts at Yankton College in South Dakota, where he attended on a football scholarship.

“My Fine Arts professor was one of these impressionists, blobbing paint on canvas, and I didn’t learn a thing, so everything I learned about art I learned myself, by studying primary colors and how you can influence different techniques,” Pardue said during the dog park interview at Ashton Brosnaham Dog Park.

(Photo: Pardue portrait)

To depict dogs, Pardue uses two types of glue.

“I think I am the only one who does that,” Pardue said, pointing out the crackling technique produced with dark and light colors.

“You paint a little color on top of the glue, and just sit back and watch it,” Pardue said. “When the glue dries, you get all those little patterns you see in the background.”

Before glue comes lead, Pardue said, noting, “I sketch out my paintings in detail as I can get them with a pencil.”

Whether it's glue or a pencil, Pardue’s eye for detail shows in his sketches, acrylic paintings, and sand sculptures, for which he has won several awards for his beach work.

Even AI knows Pardue’s got skills, as seen below in a Google Search.

(Photo: Alan Pardue Google Search)

“I got interviewed by Po10tial magazine, and I won several sand sculpting contests in Fort Lauderdale,” Pardue said. “But not like the categories they have now will people come up and pile sand 10 feet high; you had your one 10 by and went out there and did it yourself with a shovel.”

Pardue points out that behind every good man and painting is a strong woman, specifically in his case, Debbie.

“She is my muse,” Pardue said. “She has helped me with many paintings.”

Of all the portraits his partner advised him on, he considers “one of my best.”

(Photo: Pardue portrait)

“I painted Jesus walking on the water,” Pardue said. “I was going to have him walking towards all the disciples in the boat, but that has been done before, and Debbie said if you have Jesus coming across the water, why would you want to paint anything else.”

Like most of his work, Pardue gave it away.

“I gave that one to my pastor at my church, and he hung it in his office behind his desk, and he took it with him when he left,” Pardue added, saying he made sure a piece of his art would remain when he left the church. “I donated a giant nativity to the church."

An Army’s 108th Military Intelligence Battalion veteran who served in the 80s during President Reagan’s Administration, Pardue says that now that he is retired, he would much rather paint pooches and angelic scenes than watch reruns.

(Photo: Pardue portraits)

“I have given away more paintings than I have ever sold,” Pardue said, adding that, like any artist, he has natural fears. “There is so much digital art, and there is a fear someone may not know what you do because digital is so easy to make.”

Like Picasso, I don’t think Pardue has to worry about his work not being shown or commissioned at the 2026 Pensacola Fair.

“I am submitting two glue on canvas,” Pardue said, noting voting for his work entails simply visiting the second building to the right of the fair entrance. “You check in your paintings on a Saturday and then Sunday they judge and then Monday the fair is open.”

When asked if he was excited, the Pardue noted that while he “won best in show at the Tallahassee State Fair,” he has not been awarded at home in Pensacola.

You have my vote, Alan!

To vote for Pardue's work, visit the Pensacola State Fair from October 22 to November 1 at 6655 W. Mobile Highway, Pensacola. To view, purchase, or discuss commissioning a Pardue work of art, contact the artist at Pardue Gallery or visit the dog park!