You’re familiar with his stunning, large-scale oil paintings—but here are a few fun facts to brush you up on your Joseph Adolphe trivia! Let’s dive into three things you should know about the artist and his work.

1. His family inspires his work

When asked if he uses a reference for his iconic origami-esque oil paintings, he shares that his daughter actually made the first origami that inspired his practice. Adolphe expressed that not only are these super fun to do, they’re somewhat therapeutic for him. After first being inspired by his daughter, he continued the origami imagery in his work by looking up references and even hiring professionals to create more complex objects to paint from.

2. His choice of supplies informs his imagery

Adolphe feels most comfortable with large bristle brushes and taping knives, which is why he can paint such large forms. He says his choice of tools allows his focus to be on larger universal themes wherein he doesn’t feel the need to ‘render’ or get lost in the details. As a painter, he believes that ideas flow once one is comfortable with the materials.

3. His colors have personal meaning

Every artist has their own approach to selecting colors, using them to convey meaning and emotion in their work. Through each series of paintings, Adolphe hints at his thought process through titles—but he also hopes that his colors will help get a message across. In his Locution series, for example, pieces with red or pink tones references something inspiring like a promise. His Anniversary series incorporates a prominent use of white in order to reference the anniversary of his wedding, and all of the commitments and emotions that come with marriage.

Joseph Adolphe: View More Work | In the Artist’s Studio | On the Wall