Artist Spotlight: Holly Addi
Confession: I used to hate abstract art. Buckle up for a true story, which will eventually circle back to abstract art…
When I was young, my dad was a college basketball coach. My mom and my siblings and I used to go to watch his games. When I say watch, I’m using that word very loosely. The real fun in “watching” the games was when my brothers (and eventually my little sister) and I used to play upstairs in the mezzanine. We would run around and play hide and seek and sometimes even roller-skate on the perfectly smooth floor. It was so much fun! Until I looked up at the art work. It was super creepy. Bright red, blue, and mustard yellow, all swirled into a crazy mess. All I thought of was clowns. I hate clowns, they’re terrifying! As a result a solid connection was made in my eight year old brain: abstract art = creepy clowns.
Fun story, right? Okay now let’s fast forward to my current self, the one that loves abstract art. In fact the older I get, the more I love it (okay unless it’s red). When did that transition occur? I honestly have no idea. Probably when I realized that abstract art comes in many forms. Most of which are decidedly non clown-like.
I don’t remember when I first saw Holly’s art, but I do know that it was love at first sight. Imagine my delight when I instantly recognized it on Studio McGee’s Netflix Show (Dream Home Makeover). “Ooh that’s Holly!” I said. Cut to my husband’s confusion, since there was no one on the screen at that point.
click image for link
It’s those geometric patches of color that make Holly’s style easy to identify. Here’s a bit about her work directly from her website:
“Holly Addi makes paintings and mixed media artworks. By rejecting an objective truth and global cultural narratives, Addi creates with daily, recognizable elements, an unprecedented situation in which the viewer is confronted with the conditioning of his own perception and has to reconsider his biased position.”
Her paintings are often about contact with architecture and basic living elements. Energy (heat, light, water), space and landscape are examined in less obvious ways and sometimes developed in absurd ways. In a search for new methods to ‘read the city’, she focuses on the idea of ‘public space’ and more specifically on spaces where anyone can do anything at any given moment: the non-private space, the non-privately owned space, space that is economically uninteresting.”
If I’m being honest, I don’t see heat, light, and water, or non-privately owned space. I just see the beautiful colors, used in those unique and playful shapes.
Holly sells her paintings directly on Hollyaddi.com, which is the best way to support her if you love her work. She also sells affordable prints on Artfully Walls, and Art Crate.
Here’s just a few of my favs (click the images for links)…
In summary, the good news is: you can still love abstract art, even if you hate clowns.
That’s all for this week friends! If you see the true beauty in Holly’s work like I do, treat yourself and your empty walls to some new art. It will get you one step closer to a home you love.
Wishing you a beautiful, and healthy, week ahead.
-Sara
Follow Me On Instagram
