About the Artist - Ren Adams
Artist Statement
“Mt. Sumeru is contained in the grain of a mustard seed.” Li Yu
Printmaking is a philosophical art.
The printmaker produces work by capturing the fleeting, almost intangible impression of the original, holding it delicately in space as an imprinted memory. Every print is, as artist William Kentridge dubbed, a “trace” of the original matrix; a clue left behind like a bit of archaeological detritus. Layers of printed images, therefore, become a fractured historical record of the concept of image itself, revealing the process and mystery of image-making the way pottery shards combine to unveil the vase.
Ren Adams combines printmaking and Chinese brush painting (another philosophical art) in formal exploration. With an insatiable desire to document the inter-connectedness of all things, Ren allows the viewer to actively peel away layers of visual evidence, discovering what it means for being to emerge from non-being the way an archaeologist brushes away time to reveal relative truth.
As a Taoist, her work is both a form of moving meditation and an articulation of the Tao itself, investigating concepts of balance, harmony, and enlightenment, while celebrating the ordinary as extraordinary. Through “li,” or vigorous strength, lines are expressive and loose (paired with the tight and contemplative), conveying a se4nse of timelessness that unites philosophy, science, history and mysticism. Each piece captures the present moment and offers a virtual archaeological dig of being.
“Mt. Sumeru is contained in the grain of a mustard seed.” Li Yu
Printmaking is a philosophical art.
The printmaker produces work by capturing the fleeting, almost intangible impression of the original, holding it delicately in space as an imprinted memory. Every print is, as artist William Kentridge dubbed, a “trace” of the original matrix; a clue left behind like a bit of archaeological detritus. Layers of printed images, therefore, become a fractured historical record of the concept of image itself, revealing the process and mystery of image-making the way pottery shards combine to unveil the vase.
Ren Adams combines printmaking and Chinese brush painting (another philosophical art) in formal exploration. With an insatiable desire to document the inter-connectedness of all things, Ren allows the viewer to actively peel away layers of visual evidence, discovering what it means for being to emerge from non-being the way an archaeologist brushes away time to reveal relative truth.
As a Taoist, her work is both a form of moving meditation and an articulation of the Tao itself, investigating concepts of balance, harmony, and enlightenment, while celebrating the ordinary as extraordinary. Through “li,” or vigorous strength, lines are expressive and loose (paired with the tight and contemplative), conveying a se4nse of timelessness that unites philosophy, science, history and mysticism. Each piece captures the present moment and offers a virtual archaeological dig of being.
About my Printmaking Practice
The philosophy of printmaking fascinates me. The printmaker captures the fleeting, almost intangible impression of the original mark, holding it delicately in space as an imprinted memory. Every print is, as William Kentridge dubbed, a “trace” of the original surface; a clue left behind like an artifact. Layers of printed images become a historical record of the concept of image itself, revealing the mystery of image-making the way pottery shards combine to unveil an ancient vase.
My core discipline is printmaking. The combination of inherited tradition and its application to emerging, contemporary techniques offers the perfect, time-defying unity of approach. Prior, I spent a decade studying traditional Chinese brush painting (another philosophical art), since the idea of a “living line” is essential to its approach. Well executed brush strokes are thought to contain the very elements of living form: bone, nerve, flesh, blood, and Qi (vital breath), generating a wholly realized organism: forming being from non-being. There is something complimentary about print and brush, trace and formation, a relationship I continually explore by combining these mediums formally. Since my background spans art, philosophy, literature, poetry and archaeology, I naturally engage in interdisciplinary layering—a mixed media of ideas and surfaces.
My core discipline is printmaking. The combination of inherited tradition and its application to emerging, contemporary techniques offers the perfect, time-defying unity of approach. Prior, I spent a decade studying traditional Chinese brush painting (another philosophical art), since the idea of a “living line” is essential to its approach. Well executed brush strokes are thought to contain the very elements of living form: bone, nerve, flesh, blood, and Qi (vital breath), generating a wholly realized organism: forming being from non-being. There is something complimentary about print and brush, trace and formation, a relationship I continually explore by combining these mediums formally. Since my background spans art, philosophy, literature, poetry and archaeology, I naturally engage in interdisciplinary layering—a mixed media of ideas and surfaces.
About the Archaeology of Being
Fall, 2012 marked the completion of my honor’s thesis, The Archaeology of Being—an exhibition, paper and artist talk, for which I was granted highest honors. My slide-room portfolio offers a selection of pieces from this body of work. Conceptually, The Archaeology of Being explores the nature of emergence—depicting the way being materializes from non-being (literally and metaphorically) through paint, print, and digital techniques. Drawing from philosophy, science and visual art, I unpack the point at which something takes form, in conversation with the semiotics of archaeology and Taoism. By carefully arranging visual components in layers, each piece offers a glimpse into the ethereal connection between matter, non-matter, and the initiation of form.
Visual elements can be viewed in their entirety, yet allow the viewer to peel back individual moments, offering a virtual archaeological dig of the combination and recombination of elements. The trace, the living line, and the artifact are primary to my expressive approach. To apply this concept to paper, I use a visual lexicon rooted in archaeological sites that mark origination points. I distill information into abstracted forms reminiscent of architecture, rocks, and steles, suggesting the transitory and familiar.
Visual elements can be viewed in their entirety, yet allow the viewer to peel back individual moments, offering a virtual archaeological dig of the combination and recombination of elements. The trace, the living line, and the artifact are primary to my expressive approach. To apply this concept to paper, I use a visual lexicon rooted in archaeological sites that mark origination points. I distill information into abstracted forms reminiscent of architecture, rocks, and steles, suggesting the transitory and familiar.
Artist Bio
A native of Southern California, Ren Adams has been working in the visual arts for more than 20 years, with an emphasis on painting and printmaking. Her work combines traditional and emerging techniques in printmaking, painting and digital art with an insatiable desire to document the interconnection of all things.
As a Taoist, her work is both a form of moving meditation and an analysis of the Tao itself, investigating concepts of balance, harmony, enlightenment, consciousness and time, while celebrating the ordinary as extraordinary. Through “li,” or “vigorous strength,” lines and forms are expressive, conveying a sense of immediacy that unites philosophy, history, nature and mysticism.
Adams’ work is influenced by traditional Chinese, Japanese, Persian, Indian and Egyptian painting and printmaking. In addition, she finds a strong attraction to the works of Brice Marden, Wassily Kandinsky, Shiko Munakata, Paul Klee, Franz Kline, Shitao, Expressionism and ancient cave frescoes. Blending historical forms with the inundation of contemporary media, internet and pop culture, Ren follows Baudelaire's suggestion that "originality comes from the seal which time imprints on our senses." Each piece may draw upon the past, exist in the present and recognize the future, but it is the result of eyes and hands affected by years of exposure to the world; information presented in a unique way.
Her current projects combine printmaking with traditional Chinese brush painting, Eastern philosophy, science and archaeology. Her primary body of work (and thesis), The Archaeology of Being, is an expansive show which discusses the nature of existence and form through experimental prints and mixed media. The Archaeology of Being project culminated in a solo exhibit, thesis and a public artist talk presented at the University of New Mexico. In addition to producing several new themed series and exploring various methods of hybrid printmaking, Adams recently completed an internship at Tamarind Institute, was heavily active in the UNM print department, has participated in a number of print exchanges and group exhibitions and recently completed an honor's thesis in printmaking.
Originally devoted to the performing arts, poetry and humanities, Adams received her BFA in Studio Art (printmaking concentration) from the University of New Mexico, She also has a degree in English, with a minor in anthropology. She teaches classes in art and humanities through the University of New Mexico and her private studio.
Adams served as the publicist for the Factory on 5th Art Space in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she was also Assistant Show Coordinator under Robert Redus. She was co-founder and President of the Duke City Renegades Art Guild and founded The Wooden Cow Gallery and Art Space, a massive co-operative project. Adams served as gallery President and Advertising Director during early operations and was responsible for a variety of inventive fundraising techniques. Adams is a member of the Chinese Brush Painting Society of Kyoto, The Southern Graphics Council International (printmaking), and the Golden Key International Honors Society. She has also worked as a printer's and artist's assistant to Shaurya Kumar and completed an internship at Tamarind Institute in 2011.
Adams has also worked in event coordination and has been responsible for the creation and execution of a number of themed shows and exhibits. She has participated in several print exchanges and has given lectures, demos, and presentations on printmaking, art and the humanities in various professional settings. Adams’s work appears in a variety of publications, textbooks, magazines and nonfiction editions.
Adams was born in 1974 in Los Angeles County, California. Her parents (Rosalie Adams Rushing and Craige Adams) are also artists in the Los Angeles area.
As a Taoist, her work is both a form of moving meditation and an analysis of the Tao itself, investigating concepts of balance, harmony, enlightenment, consciousness and time, while celebrating the ordinary as extraordinary. Through “li,” or “vigorous strength,” lines and forms are expressive, conveying a sense of immediacy that unites philosophy, history, nature and mysticism.
Adams’ work is influenced by traditional Chinese, Japanese, Persian, Indian and Egyptian painting and printmaking. In addition, she finds a strong attraction to the works of Brice Marden, Wassily Kandinsky, Shiko Munakata, Paul Klee, Franz Kline, Shitao, Expressionism and ancient cave frescoes. Blending historical forms with the inundation of contemporary media, internet and pop culture, Ren follows Baudelaire's suggestion that "originality comes from the seal which time imprints on our senses." Each piece may draw upon the past, exist in the present and recognize the future, but it is the result of eyes and hands affected by years of exposure to the world; information presented in a unique way.
Her current projects combine printmaking with traditional Chinese brush painting, Eastern philosophy, science and archaeology. Her primary body of work (and thesis), The Archaeology of Being, is an expansive show which discusses the nature of existence and form through experimental prints and mixed media. The Archaeology of Being project culminated in a solo exhibit, thesis and a public artist talk presented at the University of New Mexico. In addition to producing several new themed series and exploring various methods of hybrid printmaking, Adams recently completed an internship at Tamarind Institute, was heavily active in the UNM print department, has participated in a number of print exchanges and group exhibitions and recently completed an honor's thesis in printmaking.
Originally devoted to the performing arts, poetry and humanities, Adams received her BFA in Studio Art (printmaking concentration) from the University of New Mexico, She also has a degree in English, with a minor in anthropology. She teaches classes in art and humanities through the University of New Mexico and her private studio.
Adams served as the publicist for the Factory on 5th Art Space in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she was also Assistant Show Coordinator under Robert Redus. She was co-founder and President of the Duke City Renegades Art Guild and founded The Wooden Cow Gallery and Art Space, a massive co-operative project. Adams served as gallery President and Advertising Director during early operations and was responsible for a variety of inventive fundraising techniques. Adams is a member of the Chinese Brush Painting Society of Kyoto, The Southern Graphics Council International (printmaking), and the Golden Key International Honors Society. She has also worked as a printer's and artist's assistant to Shaurya Kumar and completed an internship at Tamarind Institute in 2011.
Adams has also worked in event coordination and has been responsible for the creation and execution of a number of themed shows and exhibits. She has participated in several print exchanges and has given lectures, demos, and presentations on printmaking, art and the humanities in various professional settings. Adams’s work appears in a variety of publications, textbooks, magazines and nonfiction editions.
Adams was born in 1974 in Los Angeles County, California. Her parents (Rosalie Adams Rushing and Craige Adams) are also artists in the Los Angeles area.
Short, General Bio
A native of Southern California, Ren Adams has been working in the visual arts for more than 20 years, with an emphasis on painting and printmaking, integrating traditional Chinese ink techniques with contemporary digital and mixed media concerns. She has a BFA in Studio Art (printmaking) from the University of New Mexico and is currently pursuing an MFA at the Art Institute of Boston. Ren has participated in a number of regional and national exhibitions and has also published poetry and illustrations. Ren’s primary body of work is concerned with the emergence of being from non-being, and its relationship to Eastern philosophy, physics and social networking. Ren currently teaches arts and humanities courses through the University of New Mexico.
Academic Bio
Originally devoted to music and the performing arts, Ren studied visual art, music, anthropology, mythology, and poetry at Antelope Valley Community College, where she graduated with honors (summa cum laude). She mentored in poetry under Charles Hood and Robert Peters and went on to attend the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied poetry under Thom Gunn and pursued additional techniques in art and writing. She studied English at UC Berkeley and offers classes through the UNM campus, as well as through her own private studio. Ren was also a Berkeley Alumni Scholar from 1996 - 1997.
Ren has always been fascinated by cross-disciplinary studies and she finds traditional Chinese brush painting and printmaking to be the perfect blend of history, artistry, and harmony. Many of her pieces explore the physical manifestations of man's exploration of the universe--ancient ruins, archaic script, and meditative spiritual art, from cave paintings to sculpture. She is concerned with both the marriage of esoteric concepts to visual representation and the preservation of traditional art forms, while also embracing the present moment and future growth.
Ren is also a published writer and poet, whose poetry has appeared in many literary publications. Within her music career, she also performed in a number of select ensembles, including the Los Angeles Olympics opening ceremony band, regional and state honor bands, the Tournament of Roses Marching Band, and other groups. Her mixture of visual, written, and audio art gives her a unique angle of expression which sometimes crosses disciplines.
Ren has a BFA in Studio Art (printmaking) from the University of New Mexico. She teaches classes in art and humanities through the University of New Mexico.
Ren has always been fascinated by cross-disciplinary studies and she finds traditional Chinese brush painting and printmaking to be the perfect blend of history, artistry, and harmony. Many of her pieces explore the physical manifestations of man's exploration of the universe--ancient ruins, archaic script, and meditative spiritual art, from cave paintings to sculpture. She is concerned with both the marriage of esoteric concepts to visual representation and the preservation of traditional art forms, while also embracing the present moment and future growth.
Ren is also a published writer and poet, whose poetry has appeared in many literary publications. Within her music career, she also performed in a number of select ensembles, including the Los Angeles Olympics opening ceremony band, regional and state honor bands, the Tournament of Roses Marching Band, and other groups. Her mixture of visual, written, and audio art gives her a unique angle of expression which sometimes crosses disciplines.
Ren has a BFA in Studio Art (printmaking) from the University of New Mexico. She teaches classes in art and humanities through the University of New Mexico.
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Contact:: It's easiest to contact me via email at tao.and.ren@gmail.com (or through the Contact Form below). I am also available through Google Chat / Talk as tao.and.ren@gmail.com. |
 Studio shot and brushes.  Brush paintings waiting to be mounted. |
