adele hendricks

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We recently connected with Adele Hendricks and have shared our conversation below.

Adele, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I am constantly learning my craft by attending classes and demonstrations and by viewing other artists’ works – both ones that I like and those I don’t like. I also spend a lot of time on YouTube viewing tutorials that are available on a variety of different painting techniques. I also love to watch artists paint. Seeing the scene unfold on the canvas is fascinating to me. If I had had the opportunity at a younger age, I would have studied art history and worked as an apprentice for a master artist. These experiences would have advanced my art, but life got in the way and the need to make a living was my priority. Life still gets in the way of my need to paint but now I have more time so I’m painting all I can because painting is the greatest process to success.

Adele, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I consider myself an artist – I observe and try to represent the beauty I see all around me. I have always organized my life so I can be surrounded by the beauty of nature. Because I have so many paintings in my head and not enough time to create them all I am fearless in presenting my vision spontaneously. Some people like the boldness of my style but others prefer a more traditional style, a more controlled style and form. I was honored this past June with a blue ribbon from the Fine Art competition at the San Diego County Fair for a bold still life painting of roses titled “love is where it’s at”.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I love it when someone sees one of my paintings and wants to own it to hang in their home. It’s a huge expression of their commitment to my piece. They want to continue to view it over and over again and for it to be a part of their life. That moment is a thrill for me, not just because I make a sale and make more room in my studio but because I feel my attempt at telling the story or setting a scene is validated. The blue ribbon was also a huge validation for me. I think supporting local art fairs is beneficial for all artists. A big “thank you” to the Fair and to all who have purchased one of my paintings. I love that you are out there supporting the local arts scene. The media and the internet can make up so much of our minds on what “Art” is supposed to be – does it need to be in a gallery, cost a lot of money, or be approved by a critic? Maybe? But in the end art should be what you like, not what someone says is art. I love those who transcend the buzz and buy because they fall in love with the piece.

So my suggestion is to go view art online, at festivals, at fairs, at galleries and see what you like and buy it.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative in your experience?

There are so many rewards of being a creative, here’s my list:

Making someone feel joy, feel happy when viewing my paintings
The feeling of creating something that captures the beauty of a thing or a moment.
Knowing and participating with my community of artists: Ann, Toni, Carole, the CG group, the RSF art guild and all my patrons.
Lately my most rewarding aspect is my website. It allows me to see all my favorite creations in one place. My website, adelefineart.com helps me pinpoint my own taste. It helps me to see what I like (and hate) about the scene or story I was attempting to transcribe. Big thanks to Erica Putis [email protected] for helping me put together this fabulous tool.

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