John Adelman Figurative Paintings

John Adelman was born in a small town in northwest Ohio in 1969. In 1992, he earned a BFA in painting, drawing and printmaking from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Upon graduating, he worked first for CM/SNP Printing, a local newspaper print shop, and then for Airwaves Inc. a t-shirt design silk screen-printing manufacturer for ten years, in which, it is estimated he produced over 12 million images during his tenure. In 2006, John earned his MFA from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. After moving to Houston, he worked with galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Marfa Texas and Bradbury Gallery at Arkansas State University. John currently has representation by two galleries in Houston and Los Angeles. Adelman has been a finalist for the Hunting Art Prize, awarded by Hunting PLC, 3 times (in 2009, 2012, and 2014). STATEMENT: My work of drawing on canvas is an exploration of process, rules-based art. This procedure is comprised of a formula of specific actions based upon a variable circumstance and can be rooted in computer based algorithmic if, then statements. These procedural mandates are instituted from the beginning of a work and continue through its completion. The formula can dictate, structure, color, composition, scale and interior or exterior values. The formula not only controls my actions as the artist but likes organizes either the component parts of a (dismantled) object or the component parts of a single used dictionary. When the dictionary is put into play, I transcribe definitions from the 1979 Unabridged Webster's Encyclopedic Dictionary. I create dense, layered images of handwriting or convert letters of the definition into their numeric counterpart and proceed through the formula with the use of that number as a means a moving through the whole of the image. Primarily, the most used component is nails, an extension of the dismantled object, traced and sometimes labeled. Other works have included individual stitches from an entire embroidery, every part of a motorcycle, electric organ...