In conversation with Adrienne Stein

In conversation with Adrienne Stein

John Lennon and Yoko Ono sang: “We are all water from different rivers that’s why it’s so easy to meet.” Since I started interviewing artists and sharing my work on FB and Instagram, I’ve met some of the most wonderful people from all over the world. Art is one of those things that has an international language – an incredible unifying quality. It doesn’t matter where you live, what sex you are, what language you speak, what god you honour, all artists share a compulsion to create. And in that process of creating, there are so many of the same questions we wrestle with, experiences we have, and struggles that we face. Given art is often a very solitary occupation it has been my desire to seek out artists and have a place where we can effectively meet and talk about our process and for me, personally, to learn from others. Increasingly FB requests are sent to me, people comment on my posts, I like their paintings, we exchange a few words, and thus I am finding artists and they are finding me. These kinds of explorative tentacles you send out into the world have this wonderful way of making contact with and intertwining with others on their own respective journeys. And it is in this way that I came to know the artist Adrienne Stein, although I knew her work before this through the RJD Gallery in Sag Harbor, New York.

The recent paintings of Adrienne’s that I’ve seen in the flesh are whimsical, magical, and haunting – a series of almost other-worldly women and still life ensembles. And while there’s a fantasy quality to her work, the characters are brought to life with beautifully observed attention to detail and classical skill. There’s a seductive Pre-Raphaelite beauty to these women and in some of the paintings, hints of decay in the landscapes that are somewhat unsettling. Like Sirens, they appear to draw you into this beautiful, magical, and potentially dangerous world in which they inhabit.

What struck me as most unusual about Adrienne’s work is how she creates these incredibly whimsical narratives from life painting. Perhaps I came to painting late in life, but these days it seems that so many artworks rely on photographic reference due to very practical limitations like finding models, props, animals and creatures to paint, and especially for esoteric subject matter. But here I saw photos on Adrienne’s Instragram account of great armfuls of flowers in her studio, models draped in diaphanous jewel-coloured fabrics, and bowls of fruit spilling out on her windowsill. Just like the old masters, she was constructing these sets from which to make her paintings.

I was incredibly curious to find out more about this way of working, and then of course to enquire about her inspiration given my own subject matter tends to be fairly straightforward portraiture. Where does she get her ideas from? How has she arrived at this way of working? Adrienne very generously agreed to answer these and a whole host of questions that form the conversation that follows.

Read more on Lucille Smithson Art

Share:
Login

Search for an Artist or Artwork by Category

Artist
Style
Medium
Price
Size

The Gift

36" x 36" / 91.4 x 91.4cm
Oil and 22k gold leaf on wood panel

Slumber-land

24" x 36" / 61 x 91.4cm
Oil and 22k gold leaf on wood panel

The Gift of Wisdom

48" x 36" / 121.9 x 91.4cm
Oil and 22k gold leaf on wood panel

Shared Secrets

36" x 24" / 91.4 x 61cm
Oil and 22k gold leaf on wood panel

Bloom

8" x 8" / 20.3 x 20.3cm
Watercolor on Panel

JSA “Giant” 1.2: Frightened Men

30" x 24" x 1.5" / 76.2 x 61cm x 3.8cm
Acrylic Ink Pencil on Wood

Superman: War of the Worlds 4

30" x 24" x 1.5" / 76.2 x 61cm x 3.8cm
Acrylic Ink Pencil on Wood

Prince 1.2

30" x 24" x 1.5" / 76.2 x 61cm x 3.8cm
Acrylic Ink Pencil on Wood

Scooby Doo 12.9

48" x 36" x 1.5" / 121.9 x 91.4cm x 3.8cm
Acrylic Ink Pencil on Wood

Aquaman 6.3

48" x 36" x 1.5" / 121.9 x 91.4cm x 3.8cm
Acrylic Ink Pencil on Wood

Spider-Man 2099 4.7

48" x 36" x 1.5" / 121.9 x 91.4cm x 3.8cm
Acrylic Ink on Linen Canvas

The Aftermath

48" x 36" / 121.9 x 91.4cm
Oil and 22k Gold Leaf on Wood Panel

Ella

30" x 30" / 76.2 x 76.2cm
Oil and 22k Gold Leaf on Wood Panel

Reflection

36" x 48" / 91.4 x 121.9cm
Oil and 22k Gold Leaf on Wood Panel

Mysterious Realms Exhibition Catalogue

PURCHASE

Do Not Feed Your Dragon

36" x 24" / 91.4 x 61cm
Oil on Canvas

Act III Ride that River

9.5 x 8 in | 24.1 x 20.3 cm

PURCHASE

Act II Prayer Like a War Cry

9.5 x 8 in | 24.1 x 20.3 cm

PURCHASE

Act I No Place for Me

9.5 x 8 in | 24.1 x 20.3 cm

PURCHASE

Solitaire

5" x 7" / 12.7 x 17.8cm
Graphite on Paper

Puppy

5" x 7" / 12.7 x 17.8cm
Graphite on Paper

The Lion in Love

8" x 10" / 20.3 x 25.4cm
Graphite on Wood Putty-Covered Illustration Board

The More I Grow, The More I Keep Away (Diptych)

6.75" x 9" / 17.1 x 22.9cm
Graphite on Paper

Lift

11" x 14" / 27.9 x 35.6cm
Graphite on Paper

Offering

8" x 10" / 20.3 x 25.4cm
Graphite, Oil Paint and Cold Wax Media on Paper

Papillon

11.5" x 15" / 29.2 x 38.1cm
Graphite and Gold Marker on Paper

Psyche

10" x 18" / 25.4 x 45.7cm
Graphite and Pastel on Paper

Account Login

Don’t have an acount? Sign up now.