In the studio with Joseph Adolphe
“Success to me is simple;
it is achieved when the things you want to do and the things you must do are the same thing.”
When did you start creating art?
I never knew a time when I wasn’t making pictures. My grandmother always had yellow lined paper and pencils around. It is the one constant in my life. I sometimes think about what I would do if I never painted again. Then I’m back at the easel.
How do you describe your working process?
All of my paintings begin with an image that grabs my attention. In the beginning there is just the image; I have no first impressions of its significance or meaning. Then as I pursue the image in paint, the meaning of why the image grabbed my attention starts to evolve in my mind. It is only through the process of bringing that image into fruition that I can make connections with my frame of reference, or lived experiences and how those experiences relate to my hopes and dreams, fears, and anxieties.
How has your work evolved over the years?
My approach to painting is strangely mirrored by the reality of my approach to parenting. In the early stages I focused on everything with equal intensity, but as I’ve matured, I have become more selective about where my energies are focused—which I hope is on the most important things.
How would you describe your studio?
Sanctuary. Prison. Confessional.
What does a typical day in the studio look like for you?
I wake up and have a coffee. Then drive my kids to school. Then meet with my wife and discuss what needs to be done in the day, or deal with any problems. Then I paint till about noon or 1. Get some exercise. Eat lunch, then do any administrative work such as answering emails etc. etc. by 3, I’m off to pick up my kids from school, and get them to and from whatever activities are on tap. Eat dinner. Read. Go to bed.
What is your favorite part of the process?
The beginning. The beginning is always loose and fresh and exciting, then as the work develops it becomes more dangerous as I struggle to bring the work to a conclusion while maintaining those initial sparks of energy. It is a good painting if I can finish the work with those beginning enthusiasms still visible and intact. Painting for me is a dialogue with the paint. The paint has to have it’s say. I found that by using tools such as large brushes and taping knives, I’m less able to smother the paint preventing it from doing those unexpected things that paint alone can bring to the process.
What made you decide to become an artist?
Fortunately for me I never had to face any difficult decisions about what I wanted to do in life. I can do only one thing and that is paint. That is not to say that painting has been easy or produced one magical moment to the next–in fact it is just the opposite. I knew that painting pictures was for me from the simple fact that it is the only thing that I can do where I am continually failing, yet in that failure there is growth. The process of failing and then seeing the positive growth that comes directly from that failure has led me to accept that in this life, if one can derive a positive impact from bad things happening and conversely accept good things from positive impacts, then there are no obstacles. Success to me is simple; it is achieved when the things you want to do and the things you must do are the same thing.
How has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Mark twain once said, “There is art, family and friends; you may choose 2”. I’ve found this to be very true. Even though I have friends from all spheres of my life, my primary focus is Art and Family. That’s just the way it is. You cannot have a strong equally balanced approach to all three.