Colette Wright Adams – May 6-8
Colette Wright Adams received a BFA in visual art from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, then moved to Chicago where she completed a MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in painting. She has worked professionally for 40 years in Chicago primarily as a painter and drawer. Colette has an active practice as a curator and is the founder and former director of the Uptown Arts Center. She has also created a number of art & community projects.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT:
My artistic journey is deeply rooted in exploring the relationship between humans, the natural world and the profound connection between them.
“We are immersed in a field of undifferentiated matter from which our senses gather bits of information…” serves as a philosophical foundation for me as an observational artist. Focusing on trees and botanicals, my perception of the world is a selective process, where I filter and interpret the sensory information around me. Often, I unearth patterns in nature. Some are obvious and others are hidden. A regular part of my art practice is meditation and meditative walking.
IN-PERSON and VIRTUAL LECTURE: May 6: 9:30 am (CT):The Observational Artist: Approach, Practice and Tools
From Representational to Abstract painting, artists have interpreted what they see, feel and experience in the world around them and within themselves.
Someone once asked Colette Wright Adams, “What inspires you as an artist?” She looked out at the clouds that were forming that day and said, “The sky…” and then added, “and everything between it and me.” It was then Colette realized she would call herself an observational artist.
In this lecture, Colette will discuss her journey as an observational artist. She will share how she uses meditation and mindfulness in her art practice and how focusing on being present and aware in the moment has heightened her observational skills.
