Today we’d like to introduce you to Adele Victor Sanborn.
Adele, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Being an artist is an evolution of the soul. Now that I am in my sixties, I can look back and realize how hard it was to be a full time woman artist in the ‘80’s and 90’s. I know when I was younger; I spent a great deal of time trying to balance all the hats I needed to wear. Wife, mother, working woman, owning my own business, and being an artist, were all part of this balancing act that “Society” told me I had to keep in order. Sometimes the artist part of my life was not given precedence. It is important to realize that situations will change your priorities, and that making yourself feel guilty about any of them can only make your life miserable. And it is wonderful to be older and be able to look back and realize that my art always held its truth for me.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Throughout my career as an artist, I have worked in a variety of media. I make art to explore life, nature, and the world, and as a result I employ the materials that allow me to best accomplish that goal at each specific moment. New materials, new techniques excite me, and I love to be able to combine them in my work. Paper and text have been part of my tool kit throughout my life. I love the possibilities they offer me, and enable me to create. I have also moved away from a wet darkroom into computer-generated images that I can manipulate in software like Adobe Photoshop. Taking old work of mine and changing them into images that I can use in my work is so easy now…. My mind can often run wild until all of a sudden I realize I have been working on my computer for five or more hours.
I am an art maker, a pathfinder and storyteller. I use whatever materials it takes to begin my journey. My art evolves from unplanned marks and accidents that inform the next decision. Paint, line, lettering, collage, texture and shape help direct me on my way. The images in my pieces are a many layered record of my journey, with stories to tell. I am on a continuing journey to explore this path of intuitive art, listening to the voice within to learn, create and share what I find. It fills my soul with delight.
Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
Because of social media and the ease of communicating with other artists all over the world, it is now incredibly simple to share and compare work and ideas. In some ways that is exciting, but it also can be overwhelming and open the doors for someone to steal your work.
In this new world of computers and the Internet, I am always spending time researching words, ideas, and other artist’s work. Pinterest is probably one of my biggest time users, I actually have a kitchen timer I turn on and after thirty minutes it rings and I know I need to break myself away.
Today I realize all of this and one of my missions for TWIGGS has been to show high schoolers the possibilities that they too can have when being a working artist. It also is a great way for me to give back to the community. I invite one student a year to work with me, mentor with me, all in hopes that I can teach and guide them through some of the pitfalls a full time working artist can have. These kids, mostly young women, by working with me, can see what it takes to make a living with your art. We attend craft shows; they learn how to sell art, and how to work with a gallery. I also encourage them to think outside the box, that being a teacher, an art therapist, or a nurse can all lead you to a creative life, and that there is no shame in “hat changing” as long as you remember the importance art is in your life.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Adele V Sanborn lives and works in Boscawen, NH.
I have built a new studio just a short walk up the street from my house.
Because of my affinity to paper (my stash of handmade papers could probably cover the state of New Hampshire!) and nature, I have affectionately named my place TWIGGS Gallery and on the lower level is my calligraphy studio, Cornerstone Design. Within these walls I have created a haven that combines my love of mixed media, retail sales, and community involvement by offering space for classes, lectures, a funky gift shop, and a gallery space for my own art work as well as rotating shows in different mediums open to artists from the northeast.
TWIGGS Gallery hours: Thursday-Saturday and Sunday 12-4 or see my car down at my studio…feel free to drive around and you are welcome to come in through my studio door.
I am a member for the League of NH Craftsmen and have work in all seven of their gallery stores. I love to work with customers to create a one of a kind presentation for weddings, births, and other special occasions
Contact Info:
- Address: 254 King Street
Boscawen, NH 03303 - Website: www.cornerstonedesignnh.com www.twiggsgallery.wordpress.com
- Phone: 603 796.2899
- Email: adele@cornerstonedesignnh.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/adelemixedmedia/?hl=en
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/Cornerstone-Design-at-Twiggs-Gallery-182743188566/?ref=bookmarks
Image Credit:
Adele V Sanborn
Charley Freiberg
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