Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Adeola Davies-Aiyeloja. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Adeola with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
My mother and grandma are to thank for my work ethics. My mum works so hard to care for her kids as a single parent. ensuring that we go to respectable schools and providing for our needs without complaining. During the summer while I was in high school, I recall helping her at the textile store. I have the opportunity to observe her motivation and work ethic throughout this time, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Mom, a few other family members, and the Yoruba tradition of pursuing your aspirations come in that order.
“Work ethic is a belief that work and diligence have a moral benefit and an inherent ability, virtue or value to strengthen character and individual abilities,” according to Wikipedia. It is a set of principles centered on the value of labor and exhibited by a resolve or desire to put in a lot of effort.
This brings to mind my mother and how she ingrained these qualities in her kids.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am Southern California artist with a multidisciplinary background, I specialize in various mediums such as acrylic, printmaking, digital collages, mixed media, enameling, and metalsmithing. My focus lies in creating non-objective and figurative abstractions on different surfaces like canvas, boards, and paper. Color is a key element in creating an atmospheric feel in my paintings and wearable art. I use layers of warm or cool colors to establish a visual language that changes as the light and angles shift.
My work generates visual imagery of people, animals, and nature, which appears as shadow, silhouettes, moving lights, and intersecting lines. I begin my process with linguistic affirmations imbued on blank canvas. Gradually building up layers with acrylics and other mixed media, I intuitively develop the visual imagery while creating a balance between the conscious and unconscious. The resulting abstract art features fields of color, patterns, and textures.
I trust the intuition of my creative process, resulting in works that evoke femininity, spirituality, and nature. My paintings strive to portray strength, elegance, and the tension between the beauty and chaos of humanity. Dots are a recurrent motif I use to examine the phenomenon of non-objective and figurative abstractions as metaphorical interpretation of humanity, inspired by my colorful Yoruba culture.
My most recent new series, “The Golden Collection,” has me very enthusiastic. The first two in the series have been finished, and the third is about to begin.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back, I can see that tenacity, community, and connection are the ideals that guide my work.
I believe I inherited my mother’s tenacity, as well as her strong work ethic. As an artist, one must put a lot of effort into scheduling studio time each day so that you can develop your style. You build, demolish, create again, and continue the process because doing so helps one develop and become skilled at a certain task. Perseverance means getting back on track after being derailed by life, picking yourself up, and continuing on.
As I honed my artistic vocabulary, I also realized how important it was to locate my community and associate with other artists who shared my viewpoints.
If you have supportive family members, you are already one step ahead of the game because that is your in-house community. You should look for your community at neighborhood art organizations and become involved by volunteering. These were the methods I used to network and help my community flourish.
We spend a lot of time alone in our studio, which is why artists are thought of as solitary individuals. It’s nice to be an extrovert, but what about introverts? I discovered that I am both; I am an introvert when it comes to my profession, but I see the value of interacting with my collectors and tribe. I found that every time I put myself and my work out there, it becomes better.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
Putting oneself out there is a crucial step in the creative process, as was previously noted. It has taken more than one person or group to overcome obstacles on my path of being an artist. My family being number one.
A select few persons deserve credit for their assistance as we navigate out of the recent pandemic. Sergio Gomez of Art NXT Level is a coach and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to assisting artists in achieving success in their studio work, marketing, and mental well-being.
During the height of the pandemic, Kristine Schomaker was working on a project called Call and Response that aimed to assist artists in overcoming their creative paralysis. The value of Call and Response alone is immeasurable.
Most recently, I had the privilege of being chosen for The Lakers- In The Paint2 cohort and having access to mentors like Dr. Karinda Brown, Charly Palmar, Halima Taha, Harmonia Rosales, Ayanna Jones, Know Her Art Gallery, and the Lakers. Through this opportunity, I was able to gain the crucial abilities, characteristics, or information required for success.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.adeolastudio.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adeolastudio_art/
https://www.instagram.com/adeolametalsmithstudio/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaviesAiyeloja/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adeola-davies-aiyeloja
- Twitter: @Adeola_Studio
- Youtube: @adeolastudio7253
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/adeolastudio/
Image Credits
Tajudeen Aiyeloja
