- Tony Shea
Adam Stone is one of my very favorite artists in Los Angeles. His work never fails to bring a smile to my face and engage my intellect as I sort through his surreal creations and wonder what it all means. So I figured I would ask him. Below is my interview with the always fascinating Adam Stone. - Tony Shea
TONY: Many of your paintings are highly surreal and feature an interesting juxtaposition of images that are reminiscent of dreams or experiences that might be said to be psychedelic. Do dreams/subconscious serve as an inspiration for your work? Following on that, what’s your personal drug history like? Have you taken LSD or other psychedelics? Do drug experiences play a role in your work?
ADAM: I am always asked if I use drugs to create. When I was younger I did experiment with most of the garden variety drugs that are out there; and while I have never tried LSD, my work is all natural these days. I’m inspired by dreams, history, people, places as well as colorful character’s that I come across. I have a very humorous way about seeing the world around me and I often like to use my characters to convey these perceptions. I’m inspired by all things imaginative.
TONY: Describe your process. Where does an idea begin, what materials do you use, and how long does a painting take to create?
ADAM: There are times when I get an idea for a new painting and I begin by making very rough sketches. But, I’d have to say that most of the time I use the canvas to work out my compositions. I’m more of an improvisational painter. I love to be navigating my way through in the depths of discovery-in the moment. I find that when I spend too much time working the details of the composition out beforehand, I am not as connected to the element of surprise that I find so addictive. There are definitely more complex pieces that require more forethought in the early stages than others but usually being in the magic of the mystery is where I feel most comfortable. A painting can take me anywhere from a few days to a month or so. These days, I mainly work in acrylics as I often don’t have the luxury of time to wait for paintings to cure…Over the years, I have used almost every medium out there.