Adrienne Wright
Artist Biography
Adrienne Wright is an educator, designer, and artist in Oklahoma City. Her professional background consists of practice in landscape architecture and an MFA in interior design. A lifelong artist, she views her work as an opportunity to visualize concepts inspired by surrounding built and natural environments. Her primary concentration is painting, with an emphasis in acrylic and other water-based media. Her canvases are studies of color, where animals, plant forms, and architectural motifs are the main subjects of interest. Her methodical approach to painting mirrors her process as a professional designer. Compositional components, media, and techniques are explored through rigorous study, including a progression of detailed sketches and mock-ups that eventually become the finished piece. Although the bulk of her work consists of painting, she also has experience in drawing and mixed-media installation work. Also inspired by nature and architecture, her interest lies in creating immersive exhibits wherein people directly interact with the artwork, engaging all the senses. Regardless of the media or task, Adrienne approaches every project with thoughtful consideration and creative enthusiasm. Every piece is a direct representation of her professionalism and commitment to producing work of the highest quality.
Artist Statement for Girls Club Art Show V. 2.0
Adrienne’s work is directly inspired by nature, specifically its many forms and colors. Although they occupy the same environmental sphere, she is exploring two divergent avenues of natural themes related to animals and plants through two series of acrylic paintings.
[written for Nonquitt One, Nonquitt Two, Sulpher OK, and Edmond OK]
The first series explores the plant life that we think of as “underfoot” – specifically the way these organisms form a rich patchwork of texture and color that speaks to a sense of place. Compositions are studies in scale where patterns are enlarged or reduced to become vast landscapes unto themselves, full of mystery and wonder. Paintings are studies in abstracted and non-abstracted form replicating real plants and the patterns they form in the surrounding environment. These four paintings are the beginning of a larger body of work that aims to raise awareness of the complex ecosystems and the richness they contribute to our daily experience as consumers of the landscape.
[written for Pick Me, Three’s A Crowd, and On Display]
Bird of Paradise are enigmatic, captivating birds primarily found on the island of New Guinea. They are quite small in size, but what they lack in stature they make up for in beauty and quirkiness. The most remarkable of the quirks are the mating rituals of the male birds. They are known for their delicate and brightly colored plumage they contort and display as a part of elaborate dances they perform for their female counterparts. This series of three paintings explores the physiology and mannerisms of the Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise, a relatively new species known for its lively mating dance and intense black plumage, regarded as one of the darkest textures naturally occurring on Earth. The paintings are dynamic studies of behavior and contrast where the birds are placed in fictional jungle environments with common colors applied to various forms. Ultimately, the series is intended to be the foundation for development of surface and textile patterns displaying combinations of birds and foliage types.
Artist Statement for Hodge Podge Exhibition
"The selected works were originally part of a broader series depicting travel experiences. Some images were inspired by my actual travels, and some paintings visualized places I hoped to visit someday. I began with India and Cambodia, two places I have yet to visit. And hoped to expand into places I had visited – like, Japan, for example. The travel series did not ever come to completion due to the extreme popularity of the paintings inspired by India. The “elephant paintings” as they’re known became immensely popular. As a result, the series never left the south Asian country, with the exception of Cambodia.
The paintings are inspired by the simple, yet complex forms of Charley Harper. Stylized landscapes are created through the use of angular forms, sprinkled with intricate details inspired by the beautiful architecture of the country. Acrylic paint is applied in layers upon layers to create subtle, tone on tone backgrounds that provide a graphic backdrop in which I paint a very detailed focal point. Feature elements are color coordinated with the backgrounds in order to provide maximum contrast. I explore the prospect of travel through bold, whimsical interpretations of environments around the world."
@maudiemaude
Adrienne's work was featured in our exhibition, Hodge Podge, October 2017 - January 2018, and is currently included in Girls Club Art Show V. 2.0, July 10 - October 20, 2019.
