We met with visual artist Adi Parker at her home studio in Coquitlam. Like most people, Adi was creative as a child but really began to paint more seriously in high school and then university. After studying painting, photography, sculpture and printmaking for 2 years at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Adi grew restless and decided it was time to travel. She explored Scandinavia and the Artic, and then lived in India and Nepal where she studied meditation and philosophy. Upon her return to North America, Adi held a solo exhibit of her work in Toronto but then switched gears to focus on permaculture, off-the-grid living and leading meditation retreats. Adi has now reconnected with her earlier creative pursuits and is exploring her different passions and interests through abstract painting and projects that aim to engage people and break down barriers to art. She divides her time between the Lower Mainland and the interior of BC, where she helped build a sustainable cabin and also plans to build a studio.
Find out more about Adi's work on her website Actual Paint. You can also follow her on Facebook.
Our Q&A with Adi:
I more remember the experience of appreciating my surroundings and artwork that I saw while growing up. Some of my first creative experiences was taking plein air landscape painting classes during middle school, and a big part of my awakening to art was receiving and responding to the beauty that was around me.
What are you working on right now?
I recently hung a show at the Waterfront Theatre at Granville Island called 'Untitled' that will be running for the summer. I anonymously collected titles or the paintings through my website, and the paintings are displayed with their various interpretations. It is something that I would like to continue in other venues – as an abstract painter I think it is important to open up that interaction and dialogue because it allows people to feel that their perceptions and reactions to art are valid. It's actually a theme that runs through most of the projects I am currently working on – something I have also started is taking other people's old clothes and making a series of what I call quilts out of them, by sewing the clothes together then stretching them on wooden frames. The 'canvases' are then painted with mis-tinted paint from hardware stores and embellished with beads and embroidery. I am trying to explore material abundance in our culture through using rejected materials, like clothes that aren't appropriate to be donated because they may have a hole in them, that still have practical use.
What do you like the most about working as a visual artist? And what are some of the challenges of working in the visual arts?
A big part of what I love is just the enjoyment of creating and entering into that space. It is interesting to have a visual map of what I have done creatively and I really enjoy communicating with that part of myself and being able to see that I am making progress.
Something that is challenging is that while I enjoy pushing forward and trying new things, it can be difficult to figure things out conceptually – like with the Quilt project, sometimes I find myself looking at these old clothing items and asking; "what even is this?!". But I try to use that questioning as a force to go deeper, and allow myself to either break through or let go of my expectations.
What moves you as an artist?
A joy of the creative process, and an interest in connecting with other people through it.
Do you think about the relationship between artist and viewer when creating?
I'm very interested in the process of viewer interpretation and breaking down some of those barriers to art. Often there is no avenue for people to process abstract art, so I am trying to make my own art with pieces that are very familiar, like the clothing, so that it works as a portal into entering the piece. I really believe that everyone has a sensibility to art and that there is no more valid or less valid sensibilities. I want to facilitate people to explore and enjoy their own interpretations without feeling like they are wrong somehow.
It also brings to mind the idea of “pure art” and whether creating something with the viewer in mind disqualifies it from being “fine art”. I think it is a burden that we artists often put on ourselves, and something that critics definitely throw around. There is the threat of being called inauthentic if you do try to make art that is more commercially viable by thinking about the viewer, the market, or the response, but I feel like the middle path in all areas of life, is important.
What are your thoughts on exhibiting art in non-traditional platforms, outside the formal spaces of art museums and galleries?
As artists, we no longer have to carry the burden of artwork historically being commissioned to preserve something like the face of a king or illustrate a story from the Bible, for example. Anyone can be an artist now, and we have the ability to change the methods of presentation and interpretation because we can unleash our creativity without having to fit into predefined boxes. It allows both artist and audience to have a wider experience of the possibilities of what art can be.
In your view, what are some ways that artists can impact their communities?
It is case by case, of course, but we have the chance to start that dialogue about art. A big part of my practice is how I can make art without just pushing my perspective and aesthetics on people. I want to make art that empowers people to have their own perceptions instead of just dictating what they should think.
How do you participate as an artist in your community?
By trying to create new ways of making and presenting art that is inclusive and invites people in. This fall, I will be in residency at the Leigh Square Community Arts Village in Port Coquitlam, where I will be creating art throughout the day so people can come and see 'behind the scenes'. I will be continuing to work on my Quilt project so people can also participate by donating their clothes or fabrics. I am also planning a series of art discussions called “To Find Our Own Sense of Taste” where I will pair artwork with something to eat, like chocolate. We won't talk about who made the painting or how, but instead look at the artwork while tasting the chocolate, and talk about what we are perceiving. I think it will allow people to relax and enjoy a different context to experiencing artwork.
At Papergirl, we are all about the art of giving art. What is the greatest gift you have ever received?
It's very cliché, but I have to say the support from my parents. As I get older and reflect on it, I think the act of raising me must have been difficult! I know now how much they supported me and allowed me the freedom to follow my own ideas.
Tell us about the piece you have donated to Papergirl Vancouver.
It is a mixed media piece called Remember That Expression. Like my other work, it is about being able to recognize an element in order to step into the piece. It includes different things, like pieces of book covers, shipping labels, and stamps from bingo daubers, as well as more traditional art materials like oil pastels, acrylic paint, watercolours, and ink.
To wrap up the interview, if you could be a bike what kind of bike would you be?
I would definitely be a vintage Raleigh cruising bike. It would have to be curvy and metallic minty green!
interview & photos by Julie Nicole Photos