Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrienne Kinsella
Hi Adrienne, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I received my MFA in 2021 and have been pursuing a fine art career ever since. I am also a part time professor, teaching at Otis College of Art & Design and California State University, Northridge; it takes a lot of focus and discipline to juggle two careers at once.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’m not sure I have ever had a smooth road, but that is what has made me what I am today. I think most things in life take bravery, and pursuing an art career definitely requires this. I often tell my students that all art takes bravery – facing a new body of work, a blank canvas, applying to shows, meeting people – it all takes fortitude and determination to get outside ourselves and just go for it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My practice involves both drawing and painting. My work is mostly representational, and I think I’m most known for my figurative works. My new body of work, however, has little of the figure, and is directly referencing both my native heritage as a descendant of the Tongva, and living in Los Angeles. The sky is a new character for me in my paintings, and I’m thinking about barriers and access in my new drawings that feature native plants and chain-link fences. These new works are inspired by my weekly hikes in Griffith Park. There is something in the landscape in this particular region that moves me, and I find native plants to be like time-travelers, descendants of entities that have existed in the area for some time…quietly declaring, “we are still here.” I’m proud to be making work that brings light to a tribe that has experienced so much erasure throughout history. What sets me apart? I think I’m still working on defining that.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I am characteristically strong-willed and determined, which helps me keep going when discouragement and obstacles emerge. I tend to be a friendly person, and truly enjoy collaboration. Teaching requires both of these traits, and I count myself incredibly fortunate to be doing two things I love for a career: working with the next generation of artists and making art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.adriennekinsella.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adriennekinsella/
Image Credits
All images courtesy, the artist.
