Kristin Adamczyk

This series focuses on large-scale textures and processes of application incorporating my current techniques and experiments while working with alternative paint mediums and found elements. The subject, or focal point, of each piece is the centralized figure portrait, highlighted by dramatic framing lines and shapes moving across each canvas. 

I look to capture movement in my work. I accomplish this by layering collages; glitching and distorting the images. As they blend together, an energy is achieved. Her [our subject's] steps can be traced. You are encouraged to find genuine personality and feeling with each flowing brush stroke; comfortably moving your eye into the center of the piece and back out again into the minimal sections of negative space. These portraits detail my digitally processed perspective of each female subject experiencing placement within an organic environment.

noun. a thing that provides resistance, delay, or obstruction to something or someone.
"a hindrance to the development process"

This series focuses on a single individual, with minimal brushwork framing the portraits, utilizing original photography captured specifically for these pieces. Conceptually, this series explores societal constructs of beauty, and more specifically, how technology can have distorting effects on our perception of reality and natural beauty. Beauty in nature is often defined by symmetry. Something is lost when looking at nature through a digital filter. Technology is ever-changing, growing and developing; tools for digital artists are also expanding in this way. 

Often, all aspects of a work of art contribute to it’s narrative goals: The size of this series invokes an intimate look at details of brush stroke textures, which emulate digital-processing glitches with organic fluidity; while rough edges honor the process of applying paint layers. 

Red Bull House of Art is a live-in residency experience in Detroit, dedicated to providing visual artists the freedom and space to create.

I first participated in HOA Cycle 4 in 2012. The residency has grown a lot since then and continues to be a staple in Detroit’s thriving art scene. The residency is three months in-studio work, followed by the group exhibition, on display for three months. During this same time, the new residency artists move into the studio. The community is able to visit and explore the entire space - viewing both the current in-process, and exhibiting artists. My original HOA series, inspired by the process of developing film, features acrylic-transfer landscape photography.

For the alumni group exhibition this past year, I contributed my first experiment of organic glitch. Organic glitch to me is the imitation of ‘glitching’ that occurs during machine-technology processing.

‘Yolk’ captures a moment in time; multiple frames layer over one another, stretching the central figure as she floats through the space. Each frame capturing a new pose, the appearance of motion is read from left to right.

In collaboration with the Detroit Historical Society, I was invited to paint live at their special holiday gala and benefit ball. This honor meant that I was part of the entertainment for the evening; activating the space as attendees perused the auction items on the floor. On completion, my artwork was the finale auction item, which doubled the expectations of the event organizers.

Beyond the positive community purpose, this is an important piece of work to my overall aesthetic; the live-action painting provided energy for spontaneous movement and intentional fluidity. My environment inspired continuous interaction with my audience. This was my second attempt at exploring freezing motion in a 2D image utilizing collage; truly one of the most important projects I’ve participated in.