V: First, can you please tell us a little bit about yourself Adelaide?
A: Well, let's see. I'm 48 years old. I'm originally from the Southwest of the United States, but lived from 1989 to 2009 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I'm married to a British academic and now live in Lancaster, U.K. I have no children, but have a 10 year old neice and an 8 year old nephew who I love very much!
V: Five words you would choose to describe yourself?
A: Imaginative,
spiritual, equanimous, creative, playful :)
V: You are an fiber and mixed media artist. I remember that i once read these words written by you:
"Why i create textile art in the first place: It is a simple labour of love that silently connects me (and hopefully those who see it) with this mysterious journey we call life." Can you share a little bit more about this topic with us?
A: Life
is indeed a mysterious journey. Each step is one that takes us into
the unknown and each moment is new. If we take time to simply be
present and silent we can discover that who we are is also this
mystery, this change, this silence, this spirit. It's when we get
caught up with who we 'think' we are and our egos, our fears, our
pre-conceived notions of what we think 'should be' that we get
ourselves in a tangle. It's a moment by moment practice to explore
all our lives!
V: I LOVE getting a peek into the studios of artists. once a year several artists here in norway are having something called an "Open studio weekend" where everyone can visit their workspace and also get to buy some of their work if they like. i SO enjoy this open studio thing and i always go home again feeling refreshed and hugely inspired! Can we get a look into your studio? And what is important for you to sourround yourself with in your studio?
A: I
work in a lovely room on the top floor of our home in Lancaster.
Before I moved in with my husband (it's his house) I explained to him
that I would need my own room or I would be very difficult to live
with! So I stripped off some very busy floral wallpaper and removed
some very old dirty green carpeting from the guest room to create a
space where I could create. I love the fact that when I removed the
wallpaper it
exposed a wonderful mottle of a 'celedon' green colour -very much
the colour you often see in my work!
I
need both silence and light in my workspace. I also need a general
sense of 'air' - a place that feels like there is energy able to
circulate.
My
space also needs to allow me to 'walk in the woods' - In this way I
need to surround myself with my own work - both finished pieces and
pieces in process. Sometimes I just sit and look around at them and
let their own energy give me energy to create something new. I've
also lots of bits of driftwood, rusted metal, ceramic bowls full of
of beads and fabrics. I need a bit of order but not so much that I
don't feel comfortable to 'mess things up' in order to get creative.
A: Thank
you so much Vibeke for your kind words about my work. I usually have
absolutely no idea how a piece of work begins. I sometimes get
visions upon waking -could be a shape, a texture, a material. It's
usually a very quick 'flash' of an idea. I sometimes sketch, but not
to sketch out an actual piece. If I sketch it is to just get down the
bare idea of something which I may or may not refer back to. I
collect lots of images of natural textures, and images of other
artists' works who inspire. Mostly I just play and experiment and see
where it goes. I am surprised moment by moment as the work grows.
I
love and have always loved silk, mostly silk chiffon, organza or
charmeuse. I love its elegance and its seeming fragility, when in
reality it's really a very strong fabric. It's great to work with!
V: Have you always been especially drawn to fabrics and
do you have some favourites you especially enjoy working with and in case
why?
A: I
love and have always loved silk, mostly silk chiffon, organza or
charmeuse. I love its elegance and its seeming fragility, when in
reality it's really a very strong fabric. It's great to work with!
V: I don't only enjoy seeing your art i also truly enjoy
reading your writings that you share at your blog. your words are always so
honest and essential.....so beautiful and full of insight, you inspire me
through them!
both through your art and writings i get a strong
sense that you, like me, find inspiration, BEAUTY and wisdom through viewing and
beeing in nature. you have once written these words:
V: Your pieces have titles, i am curious to know if they
often come to you before the pieces are finished or afterwards?
V: What are for you the biggest blessing about beeing an artist and what do you feel are the most challenging about it?
V: Are there any places that people can see your work? and where to buy them?
"Life springs from
the seed. Sprinkled purposely or naturally scattered, what it contains wants to
show itself and grow to its full potential. Light, air, water, earth, love. Give
it what it needs and witness its miracle."...What means nature to you...what is
(has) nature learning you?
A: Again, Vibeke, thank you so much for your kind words. Yes, like you I certainly find inspiration, beauty and wisdom in nature. I feel most connected to myself (my spirit) when in nature. It teaches me TRUTH because it just IS. :)
A: Again, Vibeke, thank you so much for your kind words. Yes, like you I certainly find inspiration, beauty and wisdom in nature. I feel most connected to myself (my spirit) when in nature. It teaches me TRUTH because it just IS. :)
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| Poplar ‘fluff’ and seeds. Digital photograph. 2012 |
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| Crusty wall, Berlin, 2012. |
A: Usually
they come to me afterwards because when I'm creating them I don't
have a sense of the language of 'words'. Sometimes titles seem silly
to me, and sometimes a title comes to me that seems to make perfect
sense. It's a mix.
V: What are for you the biggest blessing about beeing an artist and what do you feel are the most challenging about it?
A: I
feel very blessed to have within me the ability to connect with 'the
mystery' and bring that mystery into existence through something
beautiful and thought provoking. I find it very challenging to have
to explain this to people who just really don't understand. I find it
exhausting.
V: Are there any places that people can see your work? and where to buy them?
A: Right
now the places to see my work are on my website, my blog, my tumblr
portfolio, and my facebook page. I don't sell on-line - I'm of mixed
minds about this. The current work I've been doing has taken me
several years to 'grow' and I'm now at a point where I'm researching
and searching out galleries and places to exhibit. I'll post any news
on my website!
V: Are there any artists that speeks deeply to you through their work? (can be anything from a poet to a painter).
A: I'm
especially fond of the poets Rilke and e.e. cummings, and many
artists - Anselm Kiefer, Cy Twombly, Eva Hesse, Rothko, Helen Frankenthaler,
to name a very few. I'm also very inspired by Japanese clothing
designers like Issey Miyake and Junya Wantanabe.
V: What inspires you?
V: At your blog you often mention simplicity, silence and letting go in your posts. Not only important topics when it comes to creating art but in life in general i think, at least for me they are.
A: Almost
anything. Definitely almost anything in nature; a leaf, fungi growing
on a tree branch, a rock, a stream, a bug, a cloud formation. I can
also be inspired by paint cracking on the side of a building -
anything with its own color/texture/shape. It doesn't matter. I'm
especially drawn to things in decay and things that are at their
beginnings. I love the transformation of the life cycle.
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| Flow Silk, encaustic medium, burnt wool 6"x25" 2012 |
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| Let go. Driftwood, rusty nail, silk, bleach, wax Adelaide Shalhope 2012 |
V: At your blog you often mention simplicity, silence and letting go in your posts. Not only important topics when it comes to creating art but in life in general i think, at least for me they are.
Can you share some of your thought and insights about
these words with us?
A: I think this is a continuation of the answer I gave about about the mystery of life. This mystery is best connected with when we are silent, when we are simple. At this moment of connection and of 'letting go' of where our busy minds are always taking us we have true insight to who we really are.
A: I think this is a continuation of the answer I gave about about the mystery of life. This mystery is best connected with when we are silent, when we are simple. At this moment of connection and of 'letting go' of where our busy minds are always taking us we have true insight to who we really are.
"Sometimes I just sit and look around at them and let their own energy give me energy to create something new. ...I need a bit of order but not so much that I don't feel comfortable to 'mess things up' in order to get creative." Wonderful description of a creative mind. Vibeke, your interview are very in-depth, thank you. I love Adelaide's comment: "This mystery is best connected with when we are silent, when we are simple."
ReplyDeleteAdelaide you are very inspiring.
ReplyDeletewondrous & fascinating :) mystery and letting go are two things I shall walk off with & ponder...
ReplyDeletethea.
xx
Thank you dear Vibeke for your very thoughtful questions. They allowed me to ponder and articulate my own process in a way I don't usually get the opportunity to do. I was honoured to be interviewed.
ReplyDelete