Meet the Painter
Andrea Rushing
Andrea Rushing is a painter. He is quiet and unassuming. He does not stand out in a crowd. But put him in a room with student artists and they follow his every move. There is magic in the room.
He approaches his work the way a master carpenter might approach his craft. He conceptualizes, designs and creates pieces of exceptional quality, paying unwavering attention to detail.
His students are his apprentices. It’s hands-on learning under Andrea’s watchful eye.
He calls himself a painter
For Andrea, painting is a calling. He doesn’t think of himself as a gifted artist. Something inside propels him forward. It is not a desire to be great or famous. It is just who he is.
I am a painter. I don’t wait for inspiration; I just do the work. There are so many things that can derail creativity. That’s why criticism or praise are equally dangerous, and why ultimately it’s useless. My only job is to continue to mature as an artist, learning how to paint freely and paint comfortably. One stroke at a time. ~ Andrea Rushing
Andrea Rushing at his easel – San Diego Art Academy
His life
Andrea’s journey began in Portsmouth, Virginia. By age 14, he began showing the talent that would lead him towards a career in art. Encouraged by his family, he entered college, but he quickly learned college was not for him. He joined the Navy and acquired a trade: aircraft mechanic. He was assigned to Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island. The Navy brought Andre to San Diego.
His military obligation completed, Andrea’s next jobs we’re in the aircraft industry, but art was calling.
Andrea returned to college to study art with the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, California.
With art his primary focus, Andrea began accepting commissions – mostly for portraits and murals. He began teaching art and opened his own business. Now in its twentieth year, the San Diego Art Academy operates from San Diego’s Liberty Station.
Andrea’s murals can be found locally at San Diego High School and the University of California San Diego (UCSD). His art and teaching was recognized for its “tremendous impact … on the community through the San Diego Art Academy” with a 2022 “Keeper of the Culture Award” from the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art.
His art
Themes that run through Andrea’s works include acknowledging the contributions of extraordinary people who escaped the notice of history and modern culture.
His paintings have two forms, straight forward portraiture and portraiture in a mildly surreal world, rich with symbolism and hidden meaning – both unfailingly reminding us of the nobility of the human spirit.
Both seek to lift viewers, allowing the viewer to reflect on personal aspirations and his or her place in the world.
He is Andrea Rushing. A simple painter. A complex man.
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Andrea Rushing’s exhibition of Scenes and People of the Frontier American West runs through October 2024 at the Wieghorst Museum.
Andrea teaches art from his Point Loma studio at Liberty Station. You can sign up for a class or learn more at: SanDiegoArtAcademy.com