Martin Allen started painting plants in 1992 whilst recovering from illness, shortly after gaining a degree in Environmental Horticulture. He has been awarded three Gold medals (two solo, one group) by the Royal Horticultural Society and now has paintings in the Collections of the Hunt Institute, The Shirley Sherwood Collection, the Transylvania Florilegium, and the Chelsea Physic Garden. He is an Emeritus Fellow of the CPGFS and currently a Trustee of the Association of Botanical Artists.

In between paintings Martin works on local native plant conservation in the Tees Valley.