We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Adam Rousseau. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Adam below.

Adam, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Every piece of art that I work on seems to have an equal amount of “meaning” to me: some are more focused on conveying a specific feeling or idea, and some are kind of nebulous to the point that even I can’t really make out what they’re about.

I do feel though like each show that I put together, be it solo or part of a group, seems to take on more importance than the last. As I make more and more work, it gives me a wider selection to draw from when trying to cull together a collection of paintings/drawings to show together. I like to think of it the way musicians put together a setlist when playing live. The more material you have to work with, the more interesting the live show can become when figuring out what works together, and what pieces of work can complement or contrast with each other.

My latest solo outing was at a local Pittsburgh salon/gallery called COMB., and the show was entitled “Man Bites God”. I definitely feel that it’s been the strongest and more coherent display I’ve put together so far.

Adam, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Though I graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a BFA in “Fine Art” in 2003, it wasn’t until less than ten years ago that I really started to take painting and drawing seriously, and try to hone some sort of style and vision and get things out in the world for people to see. I never really saw myself an “Artist” with a capital “A”, but the more I worked on things and the more I began to study the world of painting again, the more drive I had to just create and learn as much as possible.

It’s been a thrill getting acquainted with Pittsburgh’s art scene (I’ve had a studio space in Radiant Hall–an artists’ collective in the city–for about three years or so), though I’m still very, very green. Just to dip my toes in that water: meet other artists, and take advantage of the opportunities that have come along with being a part of the RH community, has been great. There’s a ton of diverse talent in this city, and it’s cool to be a small part of that.

But what I love about drawing and painting is the ongoing process, learning new tricks and techniques, making things up as I go along, and the total and absolute sense individual freedom that comes with that. While I will occasionally take on a focused commission-type project for a friend or family member or something, for the most part my work is completely undirected and uncompromised by any outside forces.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, making art is both a form of therapy and meditation: It’s essential to my well-being and sanity. Everything else–shows, attention, money… is all just a bonus. It’s the only time that I can truly quiet the incessant, running dialogue in my brain, and disconnect from the ego completely. When I’m in the studio and in that zone, it becomes a very fluid thing, like what I’d imagine a surfer feels like riding a massive wave. The external world dissolves into the background, and anything is possible. I’m sure this is not a unique take, but it is the truth.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There are a million things I wish I could go back and show/tell myself when I was in art school, or in my twenties, but mostly I would just want to impart some of the philosophy that I’ve attempted to follow for the past few years: the idea that you can’t wait for things to come to you, or the “right time” to act and move forward. Pretend the future doesn’t exist, because it doesn’t, for all intents and purposes. There is no: “well once THESE pieces fall in place, then THAT can happen.” That’s all nonsense. There is only now to make the best work that you can. Whether you have all the materials or space or resources in the world, or not. If all you have is a crayon and one sheet of paper, push that as far as you possibly can. The future will take care of itself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.acrousseau.com
• Instagram: @acrousseauart

Image Credits

The photos of me were taken by Raymond Morin, as were the two shots showing my work hung on the wall.