Statement Pieces Session 001: Jasmine Adams
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Statement Pieces is a series spotlighting the artists in the Essence Nyrie community. Real conversations in the artists’ studio, in their element. Part interview, part portrait session, it's a celebration of the people who make things that last and hold meaning.
I haven’t been motivated to write about my own thoughts, so I thought “why not write about other people’s?” Then I got distracted and started scrolling again.
The idea for this new series “Statement Pieces” was born out of a desire to connect with artists I admire, but have only had the pleasure of knowing from afar. Social media does a great job creating an artificial sense of community without ever requiring you to solidify any real relationship or develop a meaningful connection. I’m guilty of using it that way at times. So after another long hollow scroll this past June, I realized I can just reach out to people more, have real-life conversations, ask them questions, and document it so that I can share their art and perspective with others.
For the first installment, I reached out to Jasmine Adams, a Baltimore-based painter, photographer, and digital artist. I was introduced to her after she tagged me in the most ethereal video of her twirling in her Orchid Pink Parachute Dress. She just embodied all the things: tasteful maximalism, dopamine dressing (and living!), elevated boho, etc. I had to know more. I fell in love with her work, and she’s the perfect first subject.
One summer afternoon, she welcomed me into her gorgeous loft, and with house music playing in the background, we talked!
[collage]
The Interview:
Essence: When did art go from a hobby to something that you found worth taking seriously? And did you know that you would be able to make a life out of it?
Jasmine: Hmmm, that’s a good question. Art has always been a part of my life. I think in a way, all things can become an art, just depending on your perspective or how you look at it. Both my grandfathers were chefs. That’s a type of artistry. One of my grandmothers, at a time, did interior design. So, I think I always had an eye.
When it got serious was in 2018. I took my first painting class, and I think it kind of just sped up. The desire sped up from there.
Essence: You weren’t painting at all before then?
Jasmine: No.
Essence: Oh wow this is impressive! Less than ten years of experience.
Jasmine: Yeah, it really did kind of pedal forward. I started drawing at first. Hence the name “Jasmine Be Drawin” because she be drawin’. (laughs) That’s kind of where I started. In high school, it was like I lost the want to draw.
And then there was this artist by the name of Minnie Small on YouTube. During COVID, since we were all in the house, that was my release. And I think watching her do her practice is what made me want to even fathom painting. And then once we got out of all of that is when the painting really started.
Essence: That makes sense, for sure. I’m impressed. I would’ve thought you’d been painting your whole life. I’m so serious. So I was going to ask, what did your early paintings look like?
Jasmine: Well, one of them is actually up there. The one above my bed.
Essence: Do you feel like you’re miles ahead of where you were? Was it looking similar to this in the first year?
Jasmine: I think that process always changes- how I’m looking at it and where I want to go with a painting, because they don’t quite all look the same. I guess what I could say is I really love illustrations. Like a profound love. One of my favorite artists is Kadir Nelson. Oh my God, I love that man down. Every book, I have a few.
On my 11th birthday, I got a book called Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen, and it was illustrated by Kadir. I have a little message in it from my stepmom at the time, and she was just speaking to some of the feelings I was having about not feeling a part of things, feeling different. Basically just affirming that my existence and who I was then was okay. So, the uniqueness of me was nurtured in that book.
Ever since then, I’ve wanted my paintings to hint at the drawing aspect that I started off with. Obviously you still know it’s a painting, but it has drawing and illustrative elements that make it kind of not so perfect.
Essence: Yeah, not so overly fine art.
Jasmine: Right. When I started, it was, “Oh, I need to get every detail.” And it might have been because one of my teachers made us paint with only one paintbrush. So I think that’s when I was like, oh yes, detail, detail. But once my process and my overall inspiration and thoughts grew, that’s when I was like, okay, I know I’m going to go a little further with this and make it my own.
Essence: Love that. I’m in awe.
What clothing items or accessories make you feel most yourself, the most confident, right now?
Jasmine: Just Essence Nyrie, every dress. (laughs) I’ll be very honest with you. I guess it’s about trying to find clothes that immediately speak to you. Because you can go to the mall, but you know at the mall you’re going to have what everybody else has.
I think the way you remix clothes is what makes it original to you. But I feel like these pieces here!...
Essence: (laughs) You do not have to shout me out.
Jasmine: No, I do though, because it really makes me feel like myself. Like if I was a dress personified, it would be this design.
Essence: Well, thank you. You wear the pieces well!
How has your dressing shifted since you started taking art seriously? Have you seen it affect the way you dress at all?
Jasmine: I’ve always been a comfort girl. And being mindful that I’m plus size, it’s about trying to figure out, “okay, I know what I like to see, so how do I implement that in what I want to wear?” Which is why your creations are so perfect for me, because they do complement the body, and I feel like I don’t have to compromise the way I look versus what I want to wear. I don’t think art necessarily played a part in it, but I can always appreciate a good color theory combo.
Essence: (laughs) Yeah, me too!
Alright. When do you know an artwork is complete? Do you ever struggle to finish a piece, or let go of it once you’ve been working on it?
Jasmine: The letting go. I think I’ve semi, maybe, mastered that now. I think everything’s got to go now. Maybe not this one behind me, but everything else. I think there’s a departure that happens.
“I think everything’s got to go now. Maybe not this one behind me…”
Essence: When it’s complete, or as you’re doing it?
Jasmine: It depends... it depends. It’s mostly either before, or during the prep time, where I’m not caring about whether there’s dust here, a hair, or my brush fell apart… There’s no perfect way of adding gesso; you just do it, and then you go on to the next thing. It’s really about taking my mind away from thinking it has to be this thing to be valued.
Essence: Right, that’s a word. Okay, being an artist in many ways forces us to be entrepreneurs. Did you fall into that naturally, or is that something you struggle with at all?
Jasmine: I’ve done a few things that are more entrepreneurial-centered. At a point in time, I had my own shop where I was doing small prints and stickers, because I love stationery. But that didn’t last too long, because I’m a Virgo, and I overthought it, and I thought about it again, and then I kept thinking about it. (laughs)
Now that I’m doing paintings, the landscape in the fine art world is completely different. I’m readying myself for it, because I don’t think I’ve quite entered it completely. I’m kind of at the door, with my toes in, looking around, seeing what’s what. And I think that will inform whatever my next move is, whether I’m at a gallery, or out on my own, or a teacher. I’m just at the door.
Essence: Right! At the door, waiting for what’s next… Do you feel like social media platforms such as Pinterest, or Instagram if you use it in a similar way, help or hinder your artistic process?
Jasmine: Hinder. Instagram is a cuss word in this household right now.
And I say that because we literally just saw Toy Story. Being in your phone constantly and not connecting with the world is a big issue. I think it got really bad during the pandemic, and I think kids especially are experiencing not being able to connect in their life, not being able to have full conversations with people.
It’s as if Instagram and Pinterest are telling you who you should be. And at that age, they’re impressionable. So of course they think “oh, I’ve got to have a buss down!”
Essence: The [beauty] standards are out of this world! The tween phase is gone.
Jasmine: I remember when Claire’s used to be it, and Justice, and now it’s evaporated!
But I do think social media can be addicting for people older than that too. How I use Instagram personally: every artist that I know is on mute. I love y’all dearly, but I don’t want to be influenced by something I saw of yours. I want to genuinely support by literally typing it in. I think about you, I type in that name, and then I find you, rather than being constantly fed, fed, fed what other people are doing. If I want to be fed what other people are doing, I would hope that it’s an invitation... I’mma see you at the function. So, I’m on a social media break.
Essence: I’m not mad at that at all. The muting people part, I haven’t thought to do that with people I know. I think that’s scary right now for me. But I’m inspired. I definitely mute celebrities, or people who are big influences, who I really admire. I don’t want to find myself trying to emulate their path or their artwork too much. So I don’t always follow the people I revere the most.
Jasmine: Those Knowles sisters… (laughs)
Essence: Those Knowles sisters. They get stuck in my brain! (laughs)
Since we were just talking about AI before this: how do you feel about AI art? Let’s hop into it. (laughs) I hope you don’t mind me rage-baiting you.
Jasmine: I don’t think it has any value to the art space. I’ll be very honest. Now, have I seen some AI-generated work where the artist is using it to formulate, sure... but I’ve seen AI art in the Whitney.
Essence: That’s my favorite [art museum]. I actually did hear about that [ai art] though.
Jasmine: Yeah, that makes me feel a little icky, I’m not going to lie. It’s a little questionable, that choice.
Essence: Very much so.
Jasmine: But I feel like the real question, or another question to think about, is the intent behind AI. As an artist, I would question, “okay, what are we using it for?” Because when I think of an artist, I think of a person who can literally make something out of nothing. So why would you need a machine to tell you what to do when you already know how to do that?
Maybe a little sentence correction, or “go review this, I’m applying for a grant, make sure this sounds right.” That’s cute. That makes sense for what I think AI should be. Other than that, for creating? She’s going to be a no for me.
Essence: I completely agree. This is a safe space to hate on AI art. I just feel like the human part of it is what makes art art. After that, it’s just computer calculations. Why are we so interested?
Jasmine: You hear that, Siri?
Essence: (laughs) Right. I try to be nice to it, just in case it gets a little too sentient.
Essence: Do you have any other icks in the art world right now? Your least favorite side of the business?
Jasmine: That, unfortunately, art is not accessible. Fine art, more specifically, is not as accessible as I wish it was. Especially the resale market, the things that I’ve learned about that side of the business make me a little frantic.
There’s this artist by the name of Titus Kaphar. Love him down, love his work. I actually got to meet him. That’s a long story too. But he had this idea: because he’s a painter, he was like, “Okay, in what ways can I make my art accessible to my community? Because they can’t buy a million-dollar painting, or a thousand-dollar painting. How can I find the middle in that?” So he actually came out with a film, Shut Up and Paint.
He did a great job at finding a middle piece where people can see his art and what he wanted to convey, and it hit the movie theater. And I was like, oh, that’s a middle ground. He knows how valuable his work is, but doesn’t have to subtract from it. And he understands the importance of bringing your people with you and letting them have a piece too.
So, art is not as accessible as I wish it would be. And I don’t think that will ever change, unfortunately. At least not in my lifetime.
Essence: What about things like prints? Why aren’t those making it accessible?
Jasmine: I think that’s a form. But I remember, one of the reasons why I paint is because growing up, I didn’t have paintings of my family members, or people who look like me, in my household. We have a lot of pictures, but how does one have an actual painting? There’s a different feeling from seeing something digital versus seeing something physical, where you can touch it and feel it.
I think print does a great job, depending on what the artwork already looks like. But there’s a lot of work that goes into the painting itself, and I feel like everybody should have that in their household. Even if it’s just one.
Essence: I agree. That’s something that’s definitely on the list of things I would like to do with my big girl money one day. But for now, it’s poster prints, and it’s not the same.
Jasmine: You can start off slow by supporting an artist like me.
Essence: Exactly, true!
Is there something (clothing, an object, an old painting) that you’ve kept for years and you’re not letting go of, even after it’s done serving its purpose, quote unquote?
Jasmine: I honestly think it’s my cameras. My first camera. I remember when I was in high school and I took my first photography class, and we all had to have a camera. My grandparents were the ones who bought that for me. And as I started really falling in love with the idea of having a camera, they continuously invested in that.
When I finally got to college, my grandpa gave me one of his many film cameras. And that’s just going to be like an antique. I use it sometimes, every now and then. But technology will sometimes fail you, or just get old. We’re talking about cameras that are probably 50-plus years old. So they need that tender love and care. You have to use them, but then you also have to give them a rest.
So yeah, they sit pretty on my mantle, on my little shelf.
Essence: They are pretty. And also a thing to talk about, and connect with people on.
Okay, last question: if you could leave one question for the next artist in the series to answer, what would it be? It could be any kind of artist. We don’t know yet.
Jasmine: Hmm… If life could be a flavor of lemonade, what would it be?
And I ask that because life, adulthood, there’s stuff flying at you a million times a minute. And some of those things are lemons sometimes. So if we were to make something sweet out of it, what would that taste like?
Essence: I love that question. And now I’m inspired to throw in more abstract questions like that, that are really open-ended. Thank you for that.