Meet Adrienne Kinsella | Fine Artist & Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Adrienne Kinsella and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adrienne, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?

I grew up on the Westside of Los Angeles. My mother’s family lived in the area for five generations, and my father is a descendant of the Tongva, native to the LA region, which makes for some deep roots in the area. The ocean has been a constant in my life, along with local hiking trails and sites of the city. I am always excited to find new corners of Los Angeles I haven’t yet explored. I was very fortunate to have a mother who regularly took my sisters and I to the local art museums. Pieces in the LACMA collection are some of my earliest memories, along with the visual backdrop of public artworks that are scattered throughout the city. I was exposed to an array of visual expressions from a very young age.
The cultures, art and atmosphere of LA have made me an open person, and have given me a deep love for the arts. To now participate in that discourse, both through my art practice and as an educator – teaching art at Otis College of Art & Design and California State University, Northridge – is an incredible honor. I am so grateful to be doing what I know I was meant to do.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I am a painter at heart, but my drawings are a large part of my practice as well. What began as an experiment with photolithography in grad school, my drawings that use colored pencils on frosted mylar continued and even expanded. My subject matter examines the relationships between interior and exterior, whether depicting physical spaces or implied internal landscapes. I am exploring ideas of coping mechanisms and attempts to find safety in an ongoing search for belonging. The subject matter provides momentary invitations to enter inaccessible spaces where past, present, interior and exterior coexist.
The recurring presence of jello in the work serves as a metaphor for futile attempts to suspend time. A sparkling, monstrous concoction, technically edible yet made of the unthinkable, jello is structural, yet temporal – a fitting metaphor of a vanishing past. This translucent foodstuff possesses a unique ability to reveal interior and exterior simultaneously; deliciously symbolizing the public and private elements of an individual’s persona and what they choose to conceal or reveal to others.
My subject matter is somewhat autobiographical and yet also contemplates more universal experiences. The figures that appear in the work are sometimes myself, sometimes others and often taken from vintage sources. There are psychological elements that span generations and I am interested in human attempts to grapple with these and find solace in the face of difficulty.
In considering the mechanics of being an artist, I think one of the biggest challenges artists face is to keep making, and to keep marketing oneself. In this cultural moment, the flood and swiftness of the social media currents can be intimidating, and yet necessary. Someone told me recently to “make friends, not connections,” and I think this is important advice, especially in a place like Los Angeles. I find that being genuine in my interactions with people in the art world has been more rewarding than approaching things transactionally. I try to let the art I experience in galleries and museums inspire rather than intimidate me, though I do like a little healthy competition. Finding what motivates us is so vital to keep a practice going, and this is different for everyone.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

I love this question. Beginning on the Westside, we’d grab lunch at Bay Cities Italian Deli, where the Godmother sandwich is not to be missed. Another gem I’ve always loved in Santa Monica is the King’s Head, an authentic British pub, and they also have a bake shop where I highly recommend the Bakewell Tart. Driving along the bluffs, down the California Incline onto the PCH is one of the prettiest drives ever…my favorite beaches are in the Malibu area: Westward, El Matador and Leo Carillo.

For hiking, Temescal Canyon has some amazing trails….Santa Clarita’s Towsley Canyon, Placerita Canyon and Whitney Canyon all have beautiful hiking as well. Another favorite hike of mine would be anything in Griffith Park – you can hike right up to the iconic Griffith Observatory – a true gem of the city.

Other favorite spots in LA include Union Station, the observation deck at LA’s City Hall, Olvera Street and Sawtelle Japantown. All of these spots have history for me, having grown up in the city, so sharing these treasures are always such fun. I tend to totally geek out on historic architecture, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

I could go on…but want to mention a few favorite restaurants: Firefly in Studio City is a new favorite, along with Laurel Tavern. Miz Lala is a hidden gem, not to be missed, and of course, Tito’s Tacos.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I’m not sure I could name just one person who has helped me get to where I am today…

The collective faculty that mentored, encouraged and pushed me forward at CSUN were wonderful and gave me the courage to pursue my degree and become a professional artist. Of all the faculty, though, I have to give the most credit to Erik Mark Sandberg. I would not be the artist I am today without his guidance, encouragement and constant challenges to keep making and keep going. I am so grateful I got to work with him.

I also want to give a shoutout to my sisters, Katie Dorame and Mercedes Dorame; their ongoing love and support gives me so much courage to keep going.

And last but not least, a shoutout to my sons, Samuel and Mason Kinsella – I am so proud and love them bunches!

Website: http://www.adriennekinsella.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adriennekinsella/

Image Credits
Profile Photo: by Ashley Calle