Artist Profile - Adrenne Hatkoff

FEATURED ARTISTS: Adrienne Hatkoff is not only an accomplished and prolific water color artist, she's also a gerontologist who teaches local seniors, as well as an art instructor an Santa Rosa Junior College.

Artist Profile – Adriane Hatkoff
My introduction to Adriane Hatkoff happened while I was passing through the lobby of Prudential California Realty in Sebastopol. Adriane was rushing to hang her paintings for the show that is currently on exhibit there. I was on my way out of my office – rushing to my next obligation. At that brief encounter, I knew that she was someone I had to interview. That quick glance at a beautifully executed watercolor might have been what struck me but I now know that it was something more visceral. I identified myself and asked if she would like to be featured in the Artist Profile. Without hesitation, she said “yes” and continued placing paintings throughout the building. Here is a woman who has more things (or at least as many) going on in her life than me.

When first entering Adriane’s home, you know that she has a special relationship with a whippet. There are whippets on the calendar, on a covered dish and in many paintings. The most prominent whippet is Jasper, a rescued pet, who is with Adriane at home or away. Jasper is not the first whippet in Adriane’s life and will definitely not be the last. According to the whippet rescue site, a whippet owner “is involved with her dog, who considers her dog part of the family, and who has an easygoing nature herself.” “A whippet prefers a relatively quiet household. He's sensitive to human emotions.” It sure sounds like Adriane to me.

Some of you may know Adriane from her life as the Senior Day Program director. Three days a week for four and a half hours each day, Adriane entertains, cajoles and inspires a collection of West County residents. Her education in gerontology, the study of the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging, makes her the perfect candidate for this important work. This summer she added teaching drawing and painting for SRJC Adult Education to her resume. The opportunity to teach to highly educated and motivated retirees has merged two of her worlds into a single creative outlet that provides as much satisfaction to her as to her students.

Adriane’s strikingly lovely paintings of the Laguna de Santa Rosa, Costa Rican beaches and lotus flowers create another pursuit, art entrepreneur. Adriane promotes her watercolor paintings in the forms of original artwork, giclees and note cards. The colors are vibrant and the scenes compelling. At one time, Adriane did primarily plein air painting but today she prefers to photograph her subjects or environs from various perspectives and then develop her own interpretation in the solitude of her studio. You can see a large collection of these works at the Prudential Real Estate office at 7300 Healdsburg Avenue in Sebastopol for the next couple of months.

Adriane’s journey to this multi-faceted life in West Sonoma County is equally as eclectic. She started her adult life by rebelling as soon as she reached college in New England. She was away from home and grabbed the opportunity to study art as an elective while still taking the courses that were parentally approved. Her rebellion resulted in joining the New York publishing business as an illustrator of children’s books for J. P. Lippinncott Publishing. A side benefit of the tenure at J. P. Lippinncott was an education in production processes at NYU. This background is evident in Adriane’s business acumen for promoting and selling her art. After a few expeditions and career moves, she decided to move to San Francisco. She bought an old house to renovate and took odds jobs and attended San Francisco State to pursue credentials in gerontology. What she thought was a two year project and lifestyle lasted eighteen years. She moved to Brisbane, south of San Francisco and worked in assisted living facilities on the Peninsula.

While attending a watercolor workshop in Point Reyes, she met a fellow artist who was looking for a house sitter in Forestville. Adriane jumped at the chance and relocated with her whippets that were aging and enjoyed the quiet of the country. There was no going back to the congestion and noise of urban living. Adriane Hatkoff may be busy and may have as many hats as when she lived in the city but her life is calmer and very creative in the serenity of West Sonoma County. Check out her artwork at Prudential or on her website, www.adrianedesigns.com.

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