Artist Statement

Lyrical Light Series

 

I grew up on a family owned winery in Southern Ohio.  Nature surrounded me on all sides from the cultivated vineyards to the deep woods that framed their endless rows. 

 

Our home was filled with prints of mystical landscapes and strong towering oaks.  I discovered years later that these images were created by the artist from “The Golden Age of Illustration”, Maxfield Parrish.  Parrish, one of the major influences on Norman Rockwell, was, in my formative years, the major influence on my own fantastical imagination; an influence that became ingrained.

 

I attained my Bachelor of Fine Arts, from Miami University, in Graphic Design in 1993. With that training, I began to explore other artists and movements throughout the world as far back as 970 A.D. Intrigued by the formulas and creative elegance of the Chinese and Japanese artistry throughout time, my paintings began to gravitate towards my own version of a controlled gesture of Nature.

 

After three years of teaching, I resigned my position and struck out into the wilderness of Fine Art.  I continued to push myself to create despite the agonizingly slow climb. I owe much to the unending support of those who understood me, my family and friends.    

 

Personally, I find the act of creating my works to be both euphoric and chaotic.  Much like life, the studio is a relationship to be constantly appreciated for the grandeur and nuance it provides the creative process. Though a cliché’, it is true, ‘the studio is your mind’.

 

 

Adam Hayward has exhibited regularly in Ohio, including a solo show in 1998 at Miami University; as well as in Michigan, New Mexico, and Vermont and throughout the Virgin Islands.  He is collected extensively nationally and internationally.

Public Commission:  1997 Mural-sized Painting for Mater Ecclesia Institute in Hyde Park, Cincinnati