A fixture on the Coachella Valley art scene, Adam Enrique Rodriguez is known for his street art — he created murals at Desert Trip, Rhythm Wine and Brews, and Joshua Tree Music Festival — and his followers on social media know he’s equally adept at painting landscapes as well as scathing political caricatures. When COVID-19 hit the Coachella Valley, his pending commissions were either canceled or postponed, he told The Desert Sun, and he has since turned to expressing himself in watercolor painting.
In the process, Rodriguez has earned a $500 “Keep Art Alive” grant from the nonprofit California Desert Arts Council (CDAC) for his painting The Kids Can’t Play, a watercolor depicting a taped-off swing set in a closed public park. “I wanted to focus on the restricted playgrounds,” he says, noting that he has shifted the focus of his work to inspire and keep people positive in these uncertain times. “Places where kids would usually be seen playing and laughing are now strangled by caution tape and orange netting with signs to ‘Beware of COVID-19.’”
CDAC and La Quinta Arts Foundation established a $50,000 Keep Art Alive fund to award grants to local artists and arts organizations who create thoughtful, inspiring, and relevant works responding to the crisis.
See more artwork by Adam Enrique Rodriguez online at adamrodriguezfineart.com/
