Adam Burke/Nightjar

I was born in Oregon and have lived in the Pacific Northwest for most of my life and have been working as a professional illustrator since 2010. Curiosity and escape defined my childhood, and continues to define me now. The natural world satisfies my needs around both of these things. We are of nature and must remember our place.
I want the viewer of my works to appreciate nature on a deeper level. I want to explore the incredible complexity of the simplest moments. I want to tear down human ideas of hierarchy and beauty and remove barriers that keep us from holding the natural world as dear. In doing so, I hope to redefine beauty in my own way, expressed through the infinite exploration of painting.
The seeming chaos in natural forms creates many challenges in painting and drawing, providing inspiration for me. I enjoy the puzzle inherent in depicting these three dimensional forms in two dimensional space, and combining them with the control and happenstance found in the practice of painting.
I want to express aspects of the world that are less noticed, stigmatized, or considered strange or grotesque. I want to be able to express the beauty, or at least the fascination that I find in these things. I try to keep my works free of exploitation and gimmicks, informed by intense observation with the purpose of expressing honesty and connection.
I hope to elicit awe (if I’m lucky) or at least curiosity in the viewer. Curiosity keeps me motivated, and tends to be what draws me to a particular piece of art. I enjoy the combination of feeling intimidated and inspired by an artist’s imagination. I want to do this in my own work. I have my own standards of aesthetics and boundaries around what I find beautiful, and I hope to connect with others who share compatible ideas.
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Cadabra Releases:
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Casting the Runes
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Death of Halpin Frayser