Phyllis: Continuing from the last interview, I thought
I would ask some more questions to you. What is your philosophy behind the
process of drawing?
Adrienne: First of all, I do not believe in
blending and smudging. I feel pencil marks give a sense of spontaneity to the
drawing. I love the aspect of layering which gives depth to the drawing. In
life there are layers and layers to human or animal form and I wanted to show
that in rendering. This therefore gives energy and an expressive quality to the
art process. Most of my training is by observing what the masters did in the
process of creating e.g. Rembrandt and Rubens. I also love Van Gogh’s energy in
his marks.
Phyllis: Have you worked in other media?
Adrienne: Yes, oils and everything to do with
paint and drawing. I don’t work with oils now, because of the toxic nature of
them. I used to work very large but I find that it is hard transporting and
crating them. I love large paintings because you feel like you can walk into a
painting. I also love the feeling you get when you paint since you are
literally doing a dance with the paint. Your strokes can be broad and expansive
with your movement. After all is said in done though I love working small as well. And it is great to work in a variety of sizes.
Phyllis: I understand you lived in Europe. Where was
that specifically?
Adrienne: I lived approximately 20 years in
England and went back to Art College in Preston England as a mature student at
37 years of age. I also lived in Lund Sweden and Paris, France. I started to
paint after my children were born by painting a mural on their bedroom wall.
Through several adult education classes,
Phyllis: What were your influences growing up?
Adrienne: My father was talented in drawing. I
used to watch him do marvelous doodles (amazing cartoons). I also was fortunate
to grow up in a home designed for my father by Frank Lloyd Wright. So in a
sense I could say I lived surrounded by art. When my family went on vacation,
we went to visit Wright architecture around the USA. I also like the expressive
and performance arts like drama and dance having done a first degree in
theater. My mother used to say I used to dance through houses when I was young.
Having grown up in Chicago, the Art Institute heavily influenced me. I used to
study the paintings at that museum which had a marvelous impressionist and
modern collection of art.
Phyllis: Thank
you so much Adrienne for letting me ask you these questions. You can see
Adrienne’s work on www.etsy.com/shop/TheSmithsCollection
