Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Mars.
Hi Adam, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I basically came out of the womb with a handful of crayons and began my journey as an artist. It was my identity from as far back as I can remember. My parents encouraged me draw and paint whenever I wanted–all day, every day, on paper, on furniture. I continued my uninhibited creative activity throughout my time at UC Santa Barbara and later at OTIS College of Art and Design’s graduate school.
After graduation, I managed to survive the never-ending ups and downs (mostly downs) of the fine art world for over a decade. I went from selling thousands of dollars of art a month to not selling a damn thing for months, from relative obscurity to the pages of Artforum, and experienced enough glamour and disappointment to warrant a Netflix special.
Then in 2018, my friend, Brooks Nielsen, asked me to paint some outfits for his band’s annual costume concert. I figured that would be the end of my unintended fashion career. But a month later, I got an unexpected DM from Post Malone’s stylist, Cathy Hahn, asking if I would be interested in designing an outfit for the budding pop star. With that one outfit, I went from being a struggling artist who painted on canvases to a hired gun who painted on clothes for one of the world’s biggest musicians. Since then, I’ve continued making custom and limited-edition clothing, and it’s been an amazing ride.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
No, most people probably spend more money on artisanal cheeses than they do on artisanal art. So it’s a struggle to maintain a consistent and growing collector base that can support your artistic career. And galleries, whether they’re hot or not, generally don’t survive more than a few years. So finding stability within the professional market is tough.
Some of the more noteworthy professional potholes I’ve encountered were not things I was taught to look out for in school. I’ve had an art dealer fake his own disappearance weeks before my exhibition was set to open. I’ve had a museum curator agree to commission a massive project, then not pay me when it was completed. I’ve had a scam artists try to rip me off for thousands of dollars. And I’ve had rich collectors nickel and dime me until I was sick to my stomach.
But I never quit making art. And now that I’m in the fashion world there’s a new road with a new set of potholes that I’m discovering along the way.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work routinely evolves with significant cultural shifts, personal shifts, and the clients I work with. These days, I’m primarily focused on silk screening and painting on clothing. My extensive background in painting enables me to use effects and textures outside the conventional screen printing process, which gives my work a distinct look. Airbrushing is probably my greatest tool, and it gets a lot of attention in my work, both on clothing and on paintings. Beyond that, I strive to make bold recognizable art that looks great in live settings, as well as within the world of social media.
Most people know me for the witty text-based paintings I’ve made since 2011 and the clothing I’ve designed for musicians like Axl Rose and Post Malone. I’m proud of my ability to find some success outside of the art world. Music is my most cherished art form. So, being able to have my work so intimately linked to musicians that I admire is very special.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
For many years I was fixated on the concept of legacy. Primarily, on all of the art that I create in my lifetime. I wanted to be one of the big names in the art history books and hang on the walls in the big museums. But after some important people around me started to die off, I began to realize that it was their lives that were their masterpieces. The stories and the relationships that they created with other people. Not just the things that they made and left behind.
So, I’ve begun to look at my life as my masterpiece. The work I create when I’m alone in my studio is only one part of my life’s work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.adam-mars.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adammars/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdamMarsLosAngeles
Image Credits
Taylor Elliot, Katarina Benzova, Robby Klein, Kerrie Geier, Adam Mars, Edgar Obrand
