About the artist.

For the last 20 years, Adam has worked as a professional artist. His artistic style features a series of cartoon characters he has developed over his time in his studio practice. These characters are narrative in nature and rely heavily on cultural influences to tell their story. His paintings use flat, graphic lines and colors that are simultaneously familiar and unique to his style. His works have been featured widely in galleries, museums, publications and exhibitions.

Adam has also expanded the use of his abilities to the commercial art and design world, where he is the owner of littleINDUSTRIES, a small company that does art consulting and strategy, production and installation. . He has worked with dozens of small business clients since the company started in 2006.

Adam also works as a community organizer, putting together events and physical spaces designed to support the art community in which he is involved. He continues to make artwork out of the studio he co-owns with his wife at Blockfort.

Adam Brouillette grew up in a variety of midwestern environments that influenced him greatly. Majority of his time was spent in a handful of suburban areas. He watch cartoons, ate cereal, and played video games Legos as a kid. He spent summers in more natural settings, exposed to the beauty of nature and the time to reflect. Eventually he relocated to the city to build an art career. He currently lives and works in Columbus.

Adam is married to Meghan, a quilter, knitter, and photographer herself. They live with their two cats Ernie and Scout.

About the work, from the artist.

“My work is based on a series of characters I have been developing for the past 20 years. Using these characters,, I have been developing a language. They started as a tool, a desire to communicate with a current generation of viewers that grew up watching cartoons. I wanted to convey my thoughts on social scenarios, mental health, scientific discovery, and greater philosophies, through a simple lens. These characters have developed into a highly refined vehicle for these thoughts. I can use the brightness and the fun of the characters in a wide variety of manners, from subversive to direct, from overt to subdued. I want to invite the viewer into something that feels friendly, using friendly imagery, to then have them finding deeper meanings or discussions with each scenario presented. My goal is never to give a complete answer to what is happening or what each piece is about, but to direct the viewers through a funnel like thought process that moves them closer to my motives for the piece while still allowing their own experience to overlay the characters in the work. I also like to leave a hint of daydreamy quality or a surrealist tone. I like things to feel like a dream created this weird world. The characters continue to develop, sometimes through story, sometimes through adjustments in technique and I do not see an end to how they can continue to take the ideas in my head and turn them into something digestible and desirable from a viewing public. 

These characters ARE the primary feature of my work, even as the mediums, methods and scales change. The work originally started as simple line drawings, developed initially through printmaking, and grew exponentially though painting. The drawings were originally me trying to find simplified ways to communicate larger ideas. The images were basic stick figures that started taking on personalities with each story. The printmaking taught me a lot about process, palette, and precision. As I moved into painting, I kept much of what I had learned from the drawings and prints, keeping flat colors and bold lines as part of the language that helped seduce viewers. I trained myself to remove brushmarks to make things flat and graphic. I learned to scale both small and large, and more recently, even larger. I found that regardless of the medium or scale, the images always took on the same characteristics. More recently, I've started painting large scale murals of these characters, finding the same ability to tell stories, but at a different scale. Regardless of scale or medium, I've become very focused on things like color mixing and palette, shadows and depth in a relatively 2D image making process, and the importance of the features of the characters, whether it be the expressions on the faces, positioning of bodies, or interactions of the characters with the backgrounds. “ - Adam Brouillette

EDUCATION
BFA, Columbus College of Art & Design, 2002

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
Expedition to Eudamonia (2022) Sarah Gormley Gallery
Modern Odyssey (2021), Sarah Gormley Gallery
75th Anniversary Exhibition (2021), Springfield Museum of Art
Revivalism (2019), Sarah Gormley Gallery
Ordinary Objects (2018), Touring Exhibition
Unceremonious Numbers (2016), Rivet Gallery
I’ve Got a Bad Feeling About This (2015), Gateway Film Center
Beyond the Brick (2013), Columbus Museum of Art
Shape of the World (2013), University of Wisconsin
This is Serious, Keep a Straight Face (2008), Otterbein College
Mass Appeal (2009), Mahan Gallery
Mates of State (2009), Root Art Center, Mt. Vernon OH
New Narratives (2009), Riffe Center, Columbus, OH
Come on Down (2007), Mahan Gallery, Columbus, OH
Art for Life (2004 - 2021), various locations
Agora 1-10 (2006-2013), Junctionview Studios, Columbus, OH

EXPERIENCE
Owner and operator, littleINDUSTRIES (2006-current)
Owner and operator, Blockfort (2016-current)
Board Co-President, All People Arts (2020-current)
Founder and Board Chair, Independents’ Day (2009-current)
Founding Board Member, Cartoon Crossroads (2016-2017)
Founder and Executive Director, Wonderland (2009-2013)
Past Chair of Board of Trustees, Ohio Art League (1998-2013)
Past President and Founder, Couchfire Collective (2003-2009)
Manager, Junctionview Studios (2004-2011)
Co-Founder, Tacocat Cooperative (2011-2016)
Visual Guru, Zen Genius (2002-2007)
Shop Manager, Optic Nerve Art Corporation (2002-2006)

AWARDS AND HONORS
Juror - 78th Annual May Show - Mansfield Art Center
Individual Excellence Award (2023) - Ohio Arts Council
Juror (2023) - Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Division