My Art Journey

 

That’s beside the point – it stuck with me when I realized what a potent emotional outlet it was, and I poured myself into it for a few years, as long as I could. And then, life changes, and forces us to adapt. 

I now find myself in a phase where I need to turn my great body of work into affordable art prints and other products that people can enjoy during unpredictable economic times. I’d like to think I’m built for the task. With a background in technology, I taught myself to photograph and edit high-quality files qualified for printing, to build & manage my online art shop, and to handle the logistics of getting my art shipped safely from my art studio in Portland, Oregon to your home. I’m excited to look at this as a challenge I get to tackle while spinning other plates. 

“Bhakti” is a major element of my work, a Sanskrit word commonly translated as “devotion,” but encompassing non-dual or even transgressive attitudes towards worship and God. To me, this invokes a playful attitude toward the shadow side of the world & Self. I’d like to think of my work as an interplay of that duality – of Self & shadow. 

I paint modern contemporary art – pure abstraction as well as abstract expressionism. Though largely acrylic on canvas, I also use mixed media, including spray, charcoal, pastel, and just about anything else I can really get my hands dirty with. I do like to hand-smear paint, though I also use brushes, knives and other improvised tools.  I also have a taste for “creative destruction” and use fire and solvent regularly.

While this started as an outlet for myself, I want to treat it as an opportunity to act in alignment of recognizing buried talents, of exploring my own inner world on canvas in a way that someone else might feel connected to. I welcome you to explore my collection and hope you’ll find a piece that resonates with your own story. 

Thank you for looking – please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to chat about my work.

Kind regards,
Ian McAdoo