Hot Springs artist to be featured at annual fundrasier
Hot Springs artist to be featured at annual fundrasier
Joshua Adams, or Red, as he is known, said he has always been a little creative, having dabbled in art, photography and film. But it wasn’t until one of his close friends starting painting that Adams really got into the hobby.
“He was getting into painting as a form of therapy,” Adams said, “and being supportive of him, I said I would try that with him. We started painting together and enjoying our camaraderie and friendship.
“But then he got married and had to get a real job. I got into it as a hobby and working with a friend of mine, but the initial drive was to be supportive of a friend.”
Adams started painting in the summer of 2012, and he began making art as a full-time profession in 2015. He uses various mediums, including acrylic, oils, ink, pastels and spray paints. He said he now has work in Washington state and the United Kingdom, as well as personal collections.
“Overall, what I enjoy the most about it is to be able to express what it is going on internally,” Adams said. “It is a form of therapy and helps get out what has been built up.
“I am able to express myself, and that has been the most enjoyable aspect of it.”
Adams lives in Hot Springs but was born in Memphis. He graduated from Lake Hamilton High School in Pearcy in 2004. Adams will be one of the key highlights of the 15th annual Chocolate Festival, where he will take part in a live painting that will be auctioned off. Guests will watch the creation of the work on-site, and the winner will take the piece home.
“I’ve done live paint demonstrations for a number of charities, including Splash of Red and Dancing for a Cause, which is supported by the Women’s Chamber of Commerce in Hot Springs,” Adams said. “This is my first time doing it for this particular event, and I am thrilled.
“If you are a part of this community, it is paramount to be involved as much as possible. If you are able to help, than it is your responsibility to help. I was thrilled to be asked to do it.”
The 15th annual Chocolate Festival, set for Feb. 3 at the Embassy Suites, will benefit the Charitable Christian Medical Clinic. Lynn Blankenship, who serves as its executive director, said the chocolate festival is the largest fundraiser for the organization.
“The organization, which was originally founded in 1997, assists individuals that have no means to pay for their health care and buys insurance for low-income families,” Blankenship said. “We also provide a program that identifies individuals who are ready to make the commitment to the transition from that lowincome, poverty world.”
Blankenship said the fundraiser covers about 10 percent of the general operating costs, prescription services and medical care at the clinic.
“For instance, we saw about 2,000 patients and spent about a million dollars for our clients in medical care,” she said. “The majority of our staffing is volunteer, and that is one of the ways to make those dollars go further.
“We also receive prescription medication by donation in a lot of cases.”
Adams said he is grateful to be associated with Blankenship’s charity. He said he likes its mission and what the volunteers do.
“It is one of the few places in Garland County that focuses on that particular field,” he said. “It is pretty exciting.”
The cost for the event is $15 in advance for general admission or $20 the day of the event. VIP tickets are $50 each. The VIP ticket includes valet parking and the ability to taste all the chocolates without having to stand in line. Guests will be served a variety of chocolate creations from local restaurants, and there will also be handmade sweets. Last year, Blankenship said, the event raised about $40,000.
“We typically have about 700 people in attendance, so it is a pretty-well-attended event,” Blankenship said. “Obviously, we would like to raise more because everything goes right back into our organization.
“We would like to hit at least $40,000 again. We are totally privately funded. We don’t receive any insurance compensation or third-party payments.”
Blankenship said she and Adams have not worked together before, but she said Hot Springs has an event called Gallery Walk, where artists can display their work, and Adams is a regular for that event.
“I have been exposed to his work,” she said. “He and his family are involved in the community. His mother, Lauri Adams, helps put together the fundraiser as well.”
Those who are interested in helping in any way or for more information may contact Blankenship at (501) 318-1153.
Adams said he enjoys the creativity and pressure of working on the fly.
“I do like to have a little preparation,” he said. “In my mind, I have a direction I want to go in, but I don’t have it completely ironed out.
“I’m working on it and building it as I go. It is really fluid, so it has a chance to take on its own character.”
He said most of his preparation is making sure he has all the materials he will use.
“It is not paint by numbers,” he joked. “With anything creative, there is structure, but it is best to not be completely rigid at the same time.”
Blankenship said Adams will begin painting when the doors open, and while he is painting, guests can starting bidding on the work. Adams said a lot of the pressure comes from what he puts on himself.
“I wouldn’t call myself a perfectionist, but I have a sense of what I think looks good,” James said. “I am never completely satisfied, and there are always things I could have done better.
“But from a viewer’s perspective, they are, hopefully, enjoying what they are seeing. But I am more worried about the final product, more than the people standing there watching me.”
Adams said that depending on the crowd, he has seen his live artwork go for as much as $1,000 and as low as a couple hundred.
“It really depends on the people who are there,” he said. “The bidding war can get intense and go up pretty quick.
“It really depends on the event and people’s willingness to participate. My job is to start a conversation, but my whole purpose is to raise money for charity and help build the community and make it stronger.
“It really depends on how the audience is feeling that particular night.”
Jones said the decision to become a full-time artist started once he earned some notoriety and attention.
“I was building up a portfolio, something I became more and more proud of,” Adams said. “Having never had a real job before, I liked the idea of truly pursuing it.
“If you can make a living with something you like, it is a great way to do it.”