Joseph Hugh Allen, 68, of Denton, died peacefully on Monday, July 9, 2018, at his home in Plano, Texas.
Survivors include his wife Jacqui, sons Justin and Keith, grandson Forest, brother David, and their families.  He was predeceased by his parents, his first wife Venita, many close friends, and beloved pets Pal, Willy, Black Kitty, Kitty, Rocky, Snagglepuss, and Chewy.
A memorial service will be held at 10:00 AM Saturday July 21, in the chapel of Mulkey-Bowles-Montgomery Funeral Home in Denton.
Joe was born on November 16, 1949, in Denton, Texas, to Clarence and Lucile (Davis) Allen.  His early years were spent in Denton and Houston.  Joe went to California in 1968 with his friend Bruce, but returned to enroll at NTSU starting in 1969, later completing his BFA degree in painting and drawing in 1988.  In the years between, he opened Allen's Art Supply in Denton, co-owned Allen Brothers Paint Contracting, and after graduate school, Allen's Canvas online, always working with his family.  He also started the first Narcotics Anonymous group in Denton.  His dedication to holding meetings and his early service work for NA laid the foundation for saving many lives.
While earning his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of North Texas, School of Visual Arts, he enjoyed classroom art critiques and had many good memories of his professors through the years.  It was during graduate school that he began exhibiting his work widely, first as a member of the 500X Gallery in Dallas.  After completing his coursework in 1992, he was accepted as a Core Fellow at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Glassell School for two years and was a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts/Mid-America Arts Alliance Grant in 1994.  In the great tradition of artist-run spaces, he founded Purple Orchid Gallery on S. Akard in Dallas, named best new art gallery by the Dallas Observer in 2001. He was always making art which took on many forms and was exhibited in the US and abroad.
Joe was extremely proud of his children and loved his wife.  His legacy lives on with his family, his art, and in the many NA groups in Denton today that followed his early work there.  In later years, he preferred to stay home, make art, watch popular shows on TV, and hang out with Jacqui and their many dogs and cats.  He will be missed.
The family wishes to thank the caring staff of Baylor University Medical Center, especially those working with transplant and cancer patients, as well as the compassionate staff of VITAS hospice.  In memory of Joe, where ever possible, please support a local artist, animal shelter, or medical cause dear to you.