PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER FOR COVID 19 RELIEF WITH ARTXPUZZLES: PUZZLES WITH PURPOSE: Contemporary Artist and Writer Adam Kluger

Your selected artwork “Ice Cream Break” was transformed to a Collector Edition Jigsaw Puzzle to help COVID19 Relief and Artist Charity Choices with AXP. Can you speak to this decision for this work to be created into a special Collector Edition Jigsaw Puzzle, and your experience yourself puzzling it together?

Ice Cream Break is part of a larger study. It captures a sunny day and a cool character enjoying an ice cream bar while at work. It was kind of a magical moment with the sun streaming in, full of life, excitement, and nostalgia for better days.

Title: Ice Cream Break Can be found on AMAZON US: Adam Kluger Jigsaw Puzzle Size: 12" x 16.5" (310mm×418mm) 285 Piece Puzzle, cardboard thickness (1.9mm) Eska Premium Board. Traditional Paper Jigsaw Puzzle. Magnetic.

Your artwork is often published alongside your literary writings, can you tell us how artwork and writing work together and/or apart?

I come from a literary family. Best-selling authors, editors, playwrights, a Pulitzer Prize winner. I’ve also been a professional writer of sorts for over thirty years in a variety of capacities (television journalist/magazine editor, etc). The artwork (Dreck) sort of came out of nowhere, although there are a number of artists on my mom’s side of my family including Sir Jacob Epstein, the famous sculptor who is a distant cousin. When I started creating Dreck it was really just a hobby that took on a life of its own. At the same time, I found my voice as a short story and flash fiction writer. I started to submit the stories and Dreck to various literary-arts magazines and was shocked at the positive reception. That led to a number of illustrated e-books of short stories and eventually, a small French Publisher approached me about bringing out a paperback collection of 45 stories called Desperate Times.

Did your studio practice has changed during these trying times during the pandemic?

I found that I spent more time painting and sketching than writing.

What inspires you?

New York City is a major source of inspiration and everyday people. Of course the great artists and writers. Picasso, Hemingway, Warhol, Fitzgerald, Dubuffet, Bukowski, Seurat, Conrad, Modigliani, Melville…I could go on for days.

Are your subjects all real-life individuals and/or created characters?

I like to base my Dreck and my fictional characters upon the people that I come into contact with. The goal is to find something resonant, humorous, or poignant in the everyday and then express that in words and images. There’s a little bit of me in everything I do but my goal is really to simply entertain and provoke some sort of feeling. I was so grateful for all the terrific book reviews of Desperate Times. One review even said my writing was a combination of “Bukowski meets Rollins” — high praise indeed!

Do you have advice to offer to others and perhaps other contemporary artists in our current times during the COVID19 pandemic…2021?

Wear a mask and follow the CDC guidelines. Be kind to yourself and to others. Give of yourself and be loving and patient. We shall get through this together.

Can you tell us some insider views and ideas about ‘Dreck’ and your current 2021 writings?

I’ve been working on a number of nude studies over the past year that I’ve gotten some really nice feedback on. The female form is a miracle and always inspires. I hope that these new studies might be featured in a group show after the galleries come back. I have a new book of short stories entitled Winners & Losers that I look forward to bringing out later this year. The flash fiction continues to provide a fun world to escape into. I’ve also been busy writing and helping to run a couple of arts magazines for the past couple of years which has also been enjoyable.

Have you continued to work through the pandemic?

Yes. To pay the bills I have a 17-year-old PR/Branding business. With a computer and a phone and an apartment, I’ve been able to keep afloat. The Dreck and the short stories come when they come and are always a welcome diversion from the work grind and a source of joy and creative satisfaction.

You continue to timelessly engage viewers, so how did you feel creating a collector edition jigsaw puzzle and placing it in the hands of people worldwide? IE Art collectors, art lovers and puzzle enthusiasts around the world in 2020/2021?

I’m very proud to be part of Rachel’s amazing charity organization that has brought together over 100 of the top contemporary artists in the world. For Dreck to be part of this incredible group is one of the highlights of my art career

Do you have any upcoming projects you want to speak about?

I will be bringing out a number of new illustrated e-books in the coming year or so and I’m excited to keep combining the writing and the Dreck.

ARTPUZZLES: For more visit: ARTXPUZZLES: PUZZLES WITH PURPOSE

ARTXPUZZLES continues the global mission for COVID19 Relief and Artist Relief supporting organizations such as First Responders Children’s Foundation and many more.

ARTXPUZZLES: Jigsaw Puzzle Health Benefits: Jigsaw Puzzling strengthens neural connections and increases the generation of new connections. This increases mental speed and thought processes. When you exercise the part of the brain in charge of storing this information helps to maintain and improve your short-term memory.