Adare’s oil painting series Restraint & Revolution at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center
About Adare
Adare, a hyperactive, eye-patch wearing, mess of a kid began painting at the tender age of 7. When (after failing all manner of sports and acrobatics) their parents asked Adare what they wanted to do, Adare replied: "I want to paint real." Luckily they found Mrs. Blanchard an amazingly kind and gifted oil painter.
“This is my first painting, classical technique and tomato sauce was apparently in their blood.”
Much like Rembrandt, Adare’s gift for painting stemmed from their stereo blindness, which meant they viewed the whole world in 2D. As you can imagine, they walked into a lot of walls, and couldn’t catch a ball, despite their numerous corrective surgeries. Yet seeing in 2D gave them an advantage, when it came to sight sizing.
ENAMORED WITH THE OLD MASTERS,
Adare’s love of art turned into a love of travel. By 23, they journeyed to London to study Waterhouse, Millais, and John Singer Sargent, spending countless hours sketching in Britain’s fine art museums. But travel requires finance, so they worked with developmentally dis-ABLED adults, until an accident at work tore the ligaments in both their arms. When the doctor stated that Adare might not gain use of their hands, they blurted out: "Wait, I can't draw anymore?" Determined to regain motor-control, they traveled to Kyoto, Japan to mediate, not only on healing, but on their childhood dream of becoming an artist. This was the wake up call they needed.
“The first oil painting from college I ever sold, in my schools elevator or all places. As you can see, I’m not a big fan of self portraits.”
AT THE SAN FRANCISCO ACADEMY OF ART,
Adare was challenged by the excellent William Maughan, and to this day Bill Sanchez's "Wrap it around" still echoes in their head. Upon graduating, they earned a full three year scholarship at the Temescal Atelier for Classical Realism, under the esteemed living master David Hardy. Honing Adare’s skills as fine artist, Hardy’s dynamic use of color theory combined elements from his own tutors, Antonin Sterba and William H. Mosby of the American Academy of Art in Chicago, and Joseph Van der Brouk, graduate of the Royal Academy in Brussels.
"David Hardy explores reality through color, from the flushing reds of the neck to the subtle luminosity of a moistened lip–he's one of the best color theorists in America."
Opening The Muse Studio, Adare founded the annual Muse Showcase: A Celebration in Art and Music, in Berkeley, CA. Expanding throughout the Bay Area, Adare took on two solo shows, the first at the Sutter Gallery, followed by another at Epic Arts. Adare’s work was also featured at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, for a Toulouse Lautrec retrospective.
STRUCK BY A MUNICIPAL TRAIN IN 2004,
Adare spent the following years in physical rehabilitation, drawing with a pencil taped to their fingers. Bankrupted by medical bills, they discovered a bohemian harbor in Hawai`i where, not for the first time in their life, they retaught themself how to paint.
Drawing done in the height of Adare's pain, this is a "self portrait" of what they felt like, the small floating pearl is their "spirit" being guarded. They drew this with a pencil taped to their finger in 2009.
Taking off the body braces one by one, they picked up their paintbrush, and re-entered the art scene with their national art tour Restraint & Revolution. To come full circle, Adare participated in the University of Berkeley's binocular vision, where they learned how to use both eyes in conjunction, granting Adare 3D vision at last! Having honed their sight, they also found their voice, becoming a motivational speaker for the differently abled.
Yet health is a nuanced portrait with many layers, and in 2016, Adare was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder that led to 16 other co-morbidities. This new knowledge helped explain many of Adare's prior challenges, including their eyes, and why their bones continue to dislocate years after the collision.
“Creating art allows me to slip out of the confines of this body to play in a realm of color, harmony and wonder. It’s not my escape, it’s my preferred reality.”
“I have been standing in a house on fire with only one bucket of water deciding what needs to be put out first; the fiery drapes, the smoldering floor, the collapsing roof or the 30 other fire consumed objects around the house. As I take the bucket and try to knock out the fires over and over again (using this metaphor for my health) I walk by a cracked mirror that shows a distorted reflection that has never looked like myself; Gender Dysphoria.
I tell myself one day I should really fix that crack and then the fire catches my attention and I go back to work.
It’s been about 33 years now of me putting out fires and the exhaustion finally set in. I found myself sitting on the smoldering couch across from the mirror saying to myself, wow it really is time to fix that mirror.
So I made some calls, talked to some docs and that month I started taking testosterone for Gender Dysphoria. Ten months into my transition I feel more like myself, the mirror is mending and the face staring back at me is starting to look familiar.
I feel as if I have both male and female essences in me. Sometimes I’m more masculine, other times a bit feminine, I often find myself somewhere in the middle and I find such beauty in being able to transition into who I truly feel I am.
Also it’s easier for me to deal with the fires when that mirror isn’t constantly pulling my attention away, now only if I could find a good fire extinguisher!”
-Adare
HOUSE ON FIRE AND CRACKED MIRRORS.
Using corsetry as a symbol of restraint and revolution, their current portraits explore the sensual and erotic history of the bohemian underground while revisiting the classical styles they've adored since their childhood.
Recruiting prominent artistic activists as their models, their growing collection of portraits is featured in a non-fiction history titled Restraint & Revolution: The Art of Adare and a DVD of the models interviews are also available.
Exploring the powerful and emotive world with Silk Artists, Adare focuses on clearly and visually showcasing the emotions of these powerful woman through the form and beauty of the human body.
Honoring traditional cultures and sights as a continuing effort to engage the viewer to a larger understanding of "Our Global Village." Paintings are constantly being added as amazing individuals cross Adare's path and their travels continue.