North Augusta artist brings portraits to life with paint | North Augusta community news

Adeana Berry has always loved art and is now living her dream as an adult.

“I think I've always felt like I was an artist,” she said. “I just never knew what it looked like.”

Berry has been interested in art since she was a child, and now she showcases her talent with colorful celebrity portraits and murals at the CSRA.

Berry has painted portraits of Tupac, The Notorious BIG, J. Cole, Rihanna, Solange Knowles, Nipsey Hussle, Whitney Houston, the late rapper Mack Miller and other famous people.

Locally, she participated in the Artist of Color exhibition in North Augusta in January and was a finalist for the James Brown mural in Augusta.

She said she was an only child and art was her outlet.

“It kept me entertained when I was alone in my room,” she said.

Berry said her father was an art teacher and her aunt was an art teacher. Berry said her aunt taught her certain art techniques from a young age.

Passion grows

She said that at some point in kindergarten, her teachers and parents discovered her artistic talent.

“She was completely astonished that I drew the hole in the back of the chair,” she said.

Berry said her parents encouraged her artistic talent, making sure she attended art camps and other programs during the summer. In high school, she took AP Art and focused on portrait painting.

When Berry wanted to think about college, she only applied to Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta.

After graduating from North Augusta High School in 2009, she studied graphic design at SCAD. She said her interest in graphic design began after she discovered Myspace.

“I taught myself Photoshop and programming and how to change my profiles, edit photos and do different things,” she said.

Berry said at SCAD that she didn't want to focus so much on painting because she didn't want to get discouraged, which could lead to her hating it.

“Overall, I'm glad I learned both because it helped me create my own graphics and not have to rely on outside sources for digital vision,” she said. “It helped me a lot in terms of my work and the way I create.”

After graduating, she lived in Atlanta for over a decade, where Berry says she was exposed to different artists, techniques and art exhibitions. Berry loves color and was inspired by Atlanta's music scene.

After she painted portraits of Biggie and Tupac, interest in her work increased.

“I tried to make that connection of how to make art relevant at that time, and focused more on musicians, rappers and singers in my art exhibitions.”

In 2020, Berry completed two murals following the unrest in Atlanta following the death of George Floyd. She and other artists painted murals on boarded-up windows.

“It was our way of turning something negative into something positive,” she said.

She said the theme of the mural was a prayer to mothers, children and other African Americans lost to violence and abuse in the community. She chose to paint the owner of the building and tried to connect her to the story with the mural.

Effects at home

“It's really helped me find myself, find my voice and numb my imposter syndrome a little bit,” she said. “It's just healing my inner child and it's come full circle for me.”

She said her job in Atlanta ended when the pandemic began, so it was the perfect time for her to use her skills in graphic design and art. Berry decided it was time for her to return to North Augusta in 2021 to take care of her parents.

Berry said she can complete a portrait in a few days, but to prevent burnout, she tries to complete a portrait in a month. She is also exploring AI as inspiration to aid her work.

Since her return, she has been a member of the North Augusta Cultural Arts Council and other arts organizations, volunteering and teaching at local schools, learning about different artists, and meeting other Black artists in the community.

Berry said she feels like she is a mentor to youth, especially young black girls and women who want to be artists. She said another black artist in the area reached out to Berry so she could be an inspiration to her daughter and remind her of how her parents were there for her.

“I didn't realize at the time what a big deal this was, but I just want to show her that there are successful black women in the arts,” she said.

Berry's work can be found at uhdeanuh.com.