"Art is a quest..."
I stumbled upon Elaine Adel Cummin's work somewhat by accident, but I immediately fell in love with it! Her use of color is incredible, and I especially love the above work of the street at night. I love that Elaine uses unconventional colors to create highlights and shadows rather than resorting to the regular black and white. Her unconventional use of color makes this painting truly stand out, for good reason!
Something I found even more fascinating about Elaine is her story. Elaine grew up in New Orleans, which has now become a main focus for many of her paintings. As a child, Elaine began creating art very early on, collecting the leftover pastels and charcoal dropped in the popular New Orleans artist destination, Jackson Square. Elaine used art as her form of self expression; she struggled with severe dyslexia growing up and was forced to leave school at age 15 because of severe issues learning. However, Elaine did not let this determine her life, and only a few months later was given her first city permit to paint in Jackson Square. She continued to paint during her late teens, and eventually took an interest in art history. Because of her severe dyslexia, learning about history was extremely difficult for Elaine, but she used her passion of the subject to convince herself to learn important reading skills, and eventually taught herself to read.
"I could paint very well before but when I was finally able to read it was like a universe had opened in front of me.” ~Elaine Adel Cummins
Elaine's story is inspiring to both non-artists and artists alike. Her determination and passion for something she truly loves, despite all the obstacles in her way, prove that no matter what life hands you you can still accomplish what you love and make a difference in the world. Elaine's work expresses her beautiful, inspiring personality, and contains both New Orleans charm and strong passion and determination.
Something I found even more fascinating about Elaine is her story. Elaine grew up in New Orleans, which has now become a main focus for many of her paintings. As a child, Elaine began creating art very early on, collecting the leftover pastels and charcoal dropped in the popular New Orleans artist destination, Jackson Square. Elaine used art as her form of self expression; she struggled with severe dyslexia growing up and was forced to leave school at age 15 because of severe issues learning. However, Elaine did not let this determine her life, and only a few months later was given her first city permit to paint in Jackson Square. She continued to paint during her late teens, and eventually took an interest in art history. Because of her severe dyslexia, learning about history was extremely difficult for Elaine, but she used her passion of the subject to convince herself to learn important reading skills, and eventually taught herself to read.
"I could paint very well before but when I was finally able to read it was like a universe had opened in front of me.” ~Elaine Adel Cummins
Elaine's story is inspiring to both non-artists and artists alike. Her determination and passion for something she truly loves, despite all the obstacles in her way, prove that no matter what life hands you you can still accomplish what you love and make a difference in the world. Elaine's work expresses her beautiful, inspiring personality, and contains both New Orleans charm and strong passion and determination.