Drawing was an escape from what was to her a chaotic world as a child. Adrianne Read learned to tap into a stream of consciousness that is her meditation to this very day. Making art is the only safe place my mind can go and empty itself. It was not always that way. She explains. That is where it started, then add photography, painting, illustration and finally, design as the final platform for to be able to combine her methods for working. With diligence and openness to criticism, Design was like a final resting place where I could hang my hat and totally be myself.
Born in 1972, Adrianne grew up Northern California, bouncing back and forth between divorced parents and a shaky, at best, childhood. Her late teens and early twenties were more of the same, to say the least. I was in dark place during those years. It was photography that gave her a clear vision for the first time in her life. In 1995 she attended a handful of photography classes at OCC in her spare time. She accredits photography not only as her reconnection to society, but for saving her life.
Six years ago Adriannes mother passed away. In 2008, after her father also passed away, she changed her last name from Shapera to Read to honor her mother, whom she was closer to. Vivid memories of drawing and painting with her mom during playtime emerged. This segued her transition to styles of artwork she loved as a child and continues to relish today. I was able to put the camera down and see it for what it was: a snapshot of my past that I will always honor and continue to use as a tool in all that I do.
When Adrianne began painting, she was working from an abstract expression standpoint, where the process is the most important aspect to her work. In all aspects of her efforts, she tries to draw from the essence and values within herself. For her, art is not found in the outcome as much as it is in the approach. She takes her art seriously but not her methods. Never relying solely on one standard or common tools of the trade, Adrianne creates richness in her work by incorporating what comes to mind. Acrylic, oil, shoe polish, plaster, wire mesh, dirt, sand, cement, joint compound, house paint, spray paint, Silkscreen, and epoxy resin, : anything is potential fodder for painting. Though she is still painting from abstraction, design and illustration have added other richer elements to her work.
I always felt like there was something missing. Adrianne explains, she was always comfortable in most any aspect of art, as long as she was making, but always inevitably came to a crossroads. She began her degree at Otis in the fine arts department and after completing her painting requirements, decided the missing link was communication. She felt she could only reach so many by the little bit she was able to do for communities and her own personal love of art. Adrianne spent the next two years completing her bachelors of Fine Arts in painting and design. With design as her vehicle everything finally came together for Adrianne after completing her Thesis: a large scale publication called, Dystopia, a magazine of individual posters that is simply a meditation speaking about the realities of living our current lifestyle in parallel with sustainability and what that means to most people. Her contention is that we can embrace all elements within a society and still work towards sustainable practices for a better way of living and teaching others in the face of ignorance.
For the last 7 years she lived in an artist live-work space in Long Beach where she keeps a working darkroom to share with friends and students. She left a successful career as a design consultant and project manager to finish school at Otis. When Adrianne is not doing yoga, surfing, or riding her commuter bike, she spends her spare time volunteering and teaching in nearby communities, such as, Venice Arts where she has mentored inner city kids to give them what she wished was there for her as a child. An opportunity to see art as viable career. She does anything she can to stay involved with communities that are lacking art in their social and local programs. She also worked with asocial rehabilitation home serving people with mental illness and substance abuse issues. Adriannes class enhanced their lives and helped in opening creative possibilities that this population would not have experienced without Adriannes good work, said Kim Rhodes, the director of programs and services there.
Her dream is do anything possible to devote most of her time to communicating art and design as a discourse not isolated from other fields. Adrianne will continue to be involved and engaged in communities within the context of culture to give as many artists as possible, the same chance everyone deserves: a means to do their art. I really believe art can save lives. At the very least, it can transform something that otherwise seems mundane into something extraordinary.
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