Tell us about your yourself?
Adele – I was born in Durban, South Africa, my family immigrated to New Zealand when I was 10, we then moved to Perth 10 years ago, in 2019 my husband and two boys relocated to Shanghai for two years and now we are back in beautiful Australia to stay.
I am a self-taught artist, and what was once a side hustle and dream job has become a reality with my husband and both working full time on our little business for the past 9 months. I am obsessed with interiors, fashion, and colour.
Where are you based?
Perth, WA
How would you describe your creative style and mediums used?
Adele – I create mixed media art, from conception each piece is created digitally. My digitally hand drawn flowers act as collage material, each flower placed purposely in a composition. Floral hues are balanced in each composition. These often include subtle flowers with a deliberate pop of colour. Pastels intertwine with earthy tones or contrasting brighter hues.
I love negative space around interconnecting flowers. the play of negative space allows your eye to breathe between small detail and patterns in flowers. I love playing with ratio and often my compositions only use five or less flowers that are magnified. my work is a homage to vintage flower poster compositions, I love colour blocking, allowing each paint stroke to form texture and layers – defining depth rather than outlining too much.
How did you begin your career?
Having a father as an artist and art teacher allowed me to appreciate beauty and colour. I was fortunate enough to have my creativity nurtured at an early age and, art became my passion. I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Education but my passion for art, design, and interior styling, lead me to complete a Diploma in Interior Design while working as an art teacher. With the arrival of my first child, time at home allowed me to explore graphic design. I created my first collection in 2018 and was represented by Greenhouse Interiors. This gave me exposure as an emerging artist. I still worked as a full-time teacher up until I arrived back in Perth mid 2021. My time in Shanghai allowed me to experiment and establish my brand, create a website, and start selling art on my own (scary at the time but so rewarding). I strongly believe that when doors open no matter how overwhelming or daunting it might feel at first you have to see where opportunity leads you.
Who and what inspires you?
I draw my inspiration from early memories of watching my father create and paint. Growing up in South Africa I was surrounded by nature and always admired the landscapes. Flowers are off course a huge inspiration. Since I was little, I was obsessed with colour palettes, I remember rearranging stationary into colour order and my wardrobe and toys. My art style is heavily inspired by fauvism and one of my favourite Artists – Henri Matisse’s use of colour blocking, and pastel hues with pops of colour. My art is also inspired by vintage floral poster compositions, fashion, interiors, travel, and culture.
What do you love about your work?
My favourite aspect about being an artist is being able to create your own reality, waking up each day and being my own boss, watching seeds you plant over time bloom and grow into a business. My body of work and print collections show the evolving artist that I will forever be, and I love that I can see growth over time.
Where can we see/ buy your work?
I have an online store where all my art can be purchased directly from me. Instagram is my visual portfolio where you can view up to date information regarding new pieces and behind the scenes of what I am working on including original paintings, collabs, exciting projects and new collections.
I also have selected stockists/boutiques that stock my art to view in person, including Jumbled, Norsu Interiors, Life Interiors and Granite Lane.
IMAGES: Supplied
Want more? Click here for Artist: Libby Watkins
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