Photo: Courtesy of Art by Adi Designs
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.
My name is Adi, I was born in Israel and moved to Canada when I was 9 months old. I grew up in a traditional Jewish family, with both parents being self-made entrepreneurs. My mother is a visual artist, and my dad a programmer. I get most of my creative spirit from my mother’s artistic influence. After witnessing her overcoming the struggles of becoming a self-made artist, and then turning her challenges into successes, I learned that if I follow my passions and dedicate myself to them, success will follow.
This inspiration carried through to my early twenties. In 2020 I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, and most recently quit my full-time corporate job to pursue my passions of becoming an artist. While I was working my 9-5 job, I had my own company car, great health benefits, and a large pay check. However, these material things did not make up for the emptiness I felt when performing a job I did not enjoy.
What inspired you to become an artist?
My passion for art stemmed from my childhood, as I was raised by my artistic mother and was always surrounded by paint, canvases, and creativity in my home. However, it was in my first year of university when I became truly immersed in Mandala drawings. Throughout the examination periods, I would pick up a pen and paper and draw lines and circles endlessly as a form of therapy to relieve my stress and anxiety. I would lose complete sense of time and found myself immersed in the entire process, eventually transforming these shapes into artworks.
After I graduated from university, I got a job at a large Consumer Packaged Goods company working as an Account Manager in sales. Though I have worked in sales roles all my life – both door-to-door and retail sales – I kept drawing on the side. It was when I took my first full week of vacation in 8 months that I spent all my time drawing, and felt AMAZING about it. I did not want to go back to work and shake off the feeling of excitement from doing something I loved. I felt a burning desire to work for myself and pursue this dream of mine. So, I took the leap of faith and am so glad I did.
What is your specialty?
I specialize in black and white mandala drawings, using lines and shapes to create Judaica artworks and other digital illustrations. I use digital mediums as opposed to tangible ones, creating my work primarily on my iPad instead of on canvas.
How and where do you work?
I work through my home office in Toronto. I start my day by creating a to-do list of tasks to be completed for that current day. This list usually involves a combination of crafting a new illustration, working on my website, posting to Instagram, or going to the print shop to pick up my art prints. I also compartmentalize all my notebooks to keep a clean and organized work space.
What is the most indispensable item in your studio space?
The most indispensable item in my workspace is definitely my iPad Pro. I create all of my digital drawings on my iPad using the Procreate app, and do not know what I would do without it!
Where do you take your inspiration? Are you pursuing any themes?
I take my inspiration from the lines and shapes I see every place I go; whether it be the lightbulbs and wall décor in a café, the leaves from the trees outside, or the physical objects sitting in my room.
My current themes are black and white art pieces involving many lines and shapes. I incorporate this art style in my Judaica artwork as well – a category I am working to expand.
Do you do bespoke work?
Yes, I welcome commission work. I am open to creating new art designs to meet customer requests, such as designing a new illustration for a special event or crafting an image of interest.
Most recently, I designed a mandala-inspired elephant drawing for a customer who wanted to gift it to his girlfriend who loves elephants!
What projects are you currently working on?
I am currently working on creating my business website.
What are your favourite items in your current collection?
My favorite items are those in my Judaica Collection. I love my Jewish Home Blessings in particular because they carry so much symbolic meaning and cultural heritage. They remind me of my historic ties to Israel, a country I enjoy visiting.
Each piece in this collection is elegantly crafted with mandala designs that encompass a blessing written in Hebrew (a language so beautiful in itself!). These artworks make for great housewarming gifts as they are aesthetically pleasing and symbolic in nature. The blessing is intended to bring good fortune and positivity into any home.
How do you know when a piece is finished?
Ah, this is a tough question. It really comes down to my feelings about a particular piece. Sometimes I create an artwork and days later go back to retouch it. At other times, I create a piece and post it the same day. I usually decide to post a piece once I feel it is aesthetically pleasing and there is a good balance between the black and white tones. I find that if I continuously work to “perfect” a piece, it comes out worse than its original version.
What was the first artwork you ever sold?
The first artwork I ever sold was a 16×20” tree drawing composed of mandala inspired lines and shapes. It was an art piece that I sold to a family friend who wanted to decorate her new bedroom.
What do you want to achieve with your work and what are your wishes for the future?
I want my work to bring light and life into people’s homes. In the future, I wish to partner with brands to create artwork for their products or social campaigns. I also wish to sell my art prints in brick and mortar Judaica stores for them to be accessible in international Jewish communities.
In regards to my art pieces, I plan to expand my work to create Ketubahs and baby naming wall décor.
Where can we find your work?
You can find my work on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3E155jG
Instagram: @adifinearti or visit https://www.instagram.com/adifineart
Website: https://www.adifineart.com
Photos: Courtesy of Art by Adi Designs
