Today we’d like to introduce you to John Adelman
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Ever since I was a young child, art has been my calling. My mother sensed my artistic spark from the age of two, though it took me a bit longer to find my professional path.
I began studying at The Ohio State University, where the lack of rigid instruction allowed me the freedom to explore and find my creative voice. Surrounded by 33 campus libraries—including one dedicated entirely to art—as well as a renowned art museum and public art installations, it was the perfect environment for cultivating my artistic development.
After graduating with a BFA in Drawing, Painting, and Printmaking, I spent 11 years working in the printmaking industry before returning to academia. I earned my MFA while relocating to Texas in 2006. During this time, I began the representation and exhibition of my work before graduating through the Holly Johnson Gallery in Dallas.
As the Dallas art scene was already well established, I chose to move to Houston in search of new opportunities. I’ve focused on making and showing an interdisciplinary body of work that spans drawings, paintings, three-dimensional assemblages, and collages—blending these mediums to form hybrid artworks.
Houston now stands as my inspiring home base, where I continue pushing my multidisciplinary practice to new depths of conceptual richness and technical skill. My journey as an artist is one of constant exploration.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like any creative pursuit undertaken as a calling, the path of being an artist has meandered between navigating the advantageous and the obstacles. The joy of giving visual form to new concepts makes all the effort, time, redesigning, reworking, and problem-solving worthwhile.
The greatest challenge is the uncontrollable factors with exhibiting and selling my artwork. The need to rely on others who don’t always prioritize my career can be frustrating. Galleries, institutions, and curators who follow ever-changing economic, social, and popularity agendas overlook or disregard my work at times. As an artist working in Conceptual and Minimal styles, I recognize it can sometimes be difficult for others to intuitively grasp or even have the desire to grapple with works that prioritize ideas over overt visual elements. So, I prioritize the art professionals and collectors who truly appreciate and champion what I create, whether that means buying my pieces or advocating for them. The support of family and close friends has been incredibly meaningful throughout my artistic journey.
While the business aspects have brought frustration, I have maintained an even temperament, neither getting too high from praise nor too low from lack of opportunities. Throughout it all, I’ve stayed dedicated to the act of making Art. I feel I’ve built a support system of advocates that fuel my ongoing experimentation. And I’m optimistic about making meaningful new connections. Most importantly, I’ll let my passion for the art guide me. The work itself remains the source of my joy, regardless of external factors. As long as I can keep creating, the journey is well worth any obstacles encountered along the way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I characterize my work as conceptual drawing, focusing on process and allowing the image to be realized by emphasizing the process. Most of the work is comprised of thousands, tens- or hundreds of thousands of drawn components. I privilege process over polished finished product by establishing a formula to articulate the process. The formula dictates my actions as the fabricator and removes the in-progress-critiquing which allows the process its primacy.
I refer to myself as a drawer; I still see the work as drawing, even when working on stretched canvas or three-dimensional media. Many times, drawing is considered a lesser activity, as it is perceived as “a means to (another) end,” the preparatory stage, the proverbial “sketch” before making the real work of art!?! Not so for me. I think we (the universal and generational art world) are only in the infancy of drawing understanding. I see tremendous potential in leveraging repetition to transform graphite, ink, or other mediums into expansive fields.
While I am perhaps best known for my drawings consisting of vast arrangements of individually rendered nails, my artistic practice is deeply research-driven in multiple ways. Another core source I draw from to incorporate a wealth of intricate details is the process of rewriting the dictionary
As a beginning artist, newly minted through the university graduate school system, I felt my goal was to become the “blue-chip” artist represented by a mega-gallery. But so much anymore as a mid-career artist. I now see my role as producing singular visual creations that can revolutionize perceptions of art and be cherished by discerning collectors. The quality of execution and originality of vision matter most.
The most gratifying experience I am most proud of is showing new/beginning (and in many instances not so beginning artists) that there is not one artistic mindset. What truly drives me is showing others there is no single correct path in art. Individual perspectives, informed by unique experiences, are invaluable. By making each work undeniably my own through intimately crafted details, I challenge preconceptions of art’s possibilities. Time and again, viewers express surprise that art “like this” can exist – but who gets to decide?” and “Why should we adhere to 1 mindset?” Perhaps the problem of academia.
I would encourage everyone to look at work #thejohnadelman and determine for themselves what sets me apart. A challenge that I undoubtedly believe anyone can discern.
What are your plans for the future?
As an artist, my gaze is always pointed toward the future, yet recently, I’ve learned to appreciate each present moment. Exhibiting brings periods of busy activity interspersed with more languid stretches. Both have their rewards—the former, being seen, creates an energized studio activity, as well as the reward of engaging new audiences, the latter granting precious time for experimenting with novel concepts, materials, and compositional arrangements. Currently, I am in a respite of exhibiting and therefore am investigating a re-envisionment of the traditional subjects of Art, the landscape, the still life, and the portrait. Of course, in a conceptual manner that may not be so easily perceived.
What excites me most today is how much my mindset has evolved. Rather than the restlessness of producing more and more, I now feel contentment in my surroundings and process. This internal shift has deepened my enjoyment of creating without concern for external validation or outcomes.
Where once I eagerly projected ahead, I strive to remain fully present each day in my work. Details demanding attention are plentiful. By losing myself in the process, broader questions of “what’s next?” fade into the background. This mentality grants serenity to accept each new phase’s opportunities or challenges. For now, crafting ever more intricate and imaginative realms within is its own reward.
Pricing:
- Most work is priced between $2500.00-$7,500.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thejohnadelman.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejohnadelman
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejohnadelman
