During my youth, I undertook two years of art school, focusing mostly on figure drawing. In 2009, I discovered The Bay School of Art in Collingwood, which renewed my interest in art, but this time mostly painting in oils and acrylics. Since then, I have played with various subject matter (i.e. portraits, still life, landscapes and abstracts).
The Matilda Swanson Gallery in Collingwood and Stratford represents some of my work: portraits of David Bowie, Leonard Cohen and Jimi Hendrix (to name a few). Linke’s Local Arts in Stayner also has a collection of my portraits and abstracts.
Artist Statement
My work is of objects looked at closely: portraits, kitchen items and rocks.
I began with painting portraits, which are about details and precision, and then wanted to try abstracting something. I started using simple items as my subjects, like bowls and spoons.
Instead of changing the object to abstract, I started looking at it in a different way - from above - and began to see the shadows that formed around the object. I studied the shadows with a light source from one direction and noticed how they moved and changed shape as they circled around the object with time. The changing shadows was the abstraction I wanted, while the subject stayed recognizable.
I then wanted a simpler subject matter, from bowls and kitchen utensils to rocks - a long way from portraits! The materials I used also began to change, from painting to drawing, with graphite utilized to draw a series of rocks with shadows that have a variety of marks inside. Again, abstracting the shadows - giving them substance when they have none.
During this creative journey, my eye site became a factor in my process. I developed light sensitivity, making it difficult for me to work with certain colours, as well as high contrast values. I experimented and produced much art that was thrown away. My work became more subdued.
With that, it was a struggle to know if what I was making would be of interest to others. Such is art!
– Adele Derkowski












