StarWomanPlus interviewed Liz Adams Jones, a figurative painter with a unique message!

StarWomanPlus-What is inspiration to you? And how

do you get inspired?

Liz Adams Jones - I'm inspired by people who are willing to follow their own path. I'm inspired by the work of creative women artists. To name a few: Georgia O'Keeffe, Emily Dickinson, Virginia Woolf, Jenny Saville, Kara Walker, Alice Munro, Mary Oliver.

I love looking at art in galleries and museums where I can see it up close.It's exciting to see ways other artists mix colors and color harmonies,textures, composition, and lines; also how different moods or feelings are created about a subject.

Nature also provides such important reminders of beauty. I love to get in the ocean and swim far, far from the shore and to feel so tiny in such a big space. Water helps me gain perspective and clarity.

SWP- Are you on a journey with destiny? What is the journey? What is your destiny?

LAJ- I don't really know about destiny, but I definitely view life as a journey. And I think I'm meant to be a painter, I love it so much! I think as long as I'm creating the things that inspire me and that I want to say visually, I'm on a good path for me.

SWP-Have doubt & faith affected your core/vision/mission/purpose? How?

LAJ-Definitely! I think it's a constant struggle to fight the doubt that creeps in when there are rejections. But it's important to try for things. The "failures" can be stepping stones.

And the feeling that I get when I'm working in my studio, quiet and calm,is always a reminder that it's worth the difficulties and challenges.

SWP-You have an abundant plan for your life,right? How do you want to get there?

LAJ-By really trying to stay in the present.I think it's important to plan ahead,but all you really have is the moment you are in. I hope to make my moments meaningful by "following my bliss", as Joseph Campbell put it.

SWP-Is whatever you are involved with an effective tool for change?

LAJ- I do think it's important to recognize female artists. We have been the underdogs for far too long. I hope that my series about female artists raises even a small amount of awareness about some really talented and amazing women. I also think that my presence as an artist is one more woman in a male dominated field. Additionally, I have the pleasure of teaching art. To share what I have benefited from learning is reallyrewarding. When I teach, I want my students to move past their fears of "not being good enough" and explore what they really are capable of.

SWP-In what ways should women maximize the abilities in their vision?

LAJ- By not letting fear hold them back. By trusting themselves and their abilities to learn. By a willingness to face challenges.

SWP- When did you begin to embrace and become aware of your purpose/vision? What was your reaction?

LAJ- I've always had a drive to do something creative. I took my first painting class at 18. I really fell in love with oils. I thought "this is how I want to spend the rest of my life!" So I started scheming for more classes wherever I could. It took me a while,but I ultimately made it New York City where I had the wonderful experience of studying life drawing and paintingat the Art Students League and the National Academy. I like to think I will always be painting with the same enthusiasm as my 18 year old self.

SWP-A woman's mind and soul are important? How important?

LAJ-We are all comprised of mind, body and spirit. It's unfortunate to see how women are all too often valued more for their bodies than for their whole person. Objectification of women is still very much a problem in our society.

SWP- How should our educational systems be involved in helping girls discover their purpose?

LAJ-I think it's important for young girls to start to visualize their careers and what they want out of life. Of course this takes time to learn and know, but providing guidance on the best educational options and potential opportunities is really helpful. Also, I think a program where professionals

can come in and answer questions for girls who are potentially interested in particular fields and can ask questions and learn about options would be amazing. Knowing about available opportunities is key.

SWP- Who are (is) your mentor(s)?What have you learnt from them?

LAJ- I have been really blessed with some amazing women in my life. I've learned a lot from my art teacher Sharon Sprung. In addition to teaching me so much about painting, she taught me by example to be a "say yes" person.

I have an artist friend from back

home, writer/painter/musician Linda Wimberly, whom I stay in constant touch with. She has really helped me embrace authenticity. She's been the person who has seen me through all of the good and bad experiences since I was just starting out on my path as an artist.

SWP-Those times that seem as if nothing is working,how do you pull yourself through?

LAJ- What helps me is to stay active. If I hate what I'm doing, I try to start something new. But I feel better if I keep working. There's something powerful about "showing up" for your work,

even if you don't feel like it.

SWP- Any last words for women/girls out there standing by and for their dreams?

LAJ-Don't give up!! And if you really love something, be willing to put in the time and effort to learn. Take advantage of being students!

SWP-Share 5 quotes that havechanged your life.

LAJ- I have 6 actually!

°“Life is short, art long, opportunity

fleeting, experience treacherous,

judgment difficult.” Hippocrates

°"If this isn't nice, what is?" Kurt

Vonnegut

°“By the side of the everlasting Why

there is a Yes--a transitory Yes if you

like, but a Yes.”

― E.M. Forster, A Room with a View

°"Carpe Diem"

°"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some

compassion, some humor, and some style." Maya Angelou

°“Her eyes were the eyes of one who can remember; one whose childhood does not fade like a dream, nor whose youth vanish like a sunbeam.

She would not take life loosely and

incoherently, in parts, and let one

season slip as she entered on

another: she would retain and add;often review from the commencement,and so grow in harmony and consistency as she grew in years.”

― Charlotte Brontë, Villette

Liz Adams Jones is a figurative painter in New York

City. She teachs drawing and painting at The Art Center NY and privately.She works out of her studio in Harlem

website-

www.lizadamsjones.com

Blog: http://

lizadamsjones.blogspot.com

Facebook: Liz Adams-Jones

Instagram: @lizadamsjones

No part of this interview/article may be reproduced without permission.

(c) 2015

#photo #LAdamsJones