“Looking at the paintings of Aandra Aabdock–uninhibited, surreal, quirkily funny and often vaguely sinister–one could easily imagine her work hanging smartly on the sponge-painted walls of a between-the-wars Parisian salon, and could visualize the tall slender artist herself as its elegant doyenne.
In reality, however, nothing could be further from this image. Ms. Aabdock, descended from settlers of Oregon’s western frontier, was born in Los Angeles in 1955 and spent the first three decades of her life–school, worship, social activities, work–all within, as she puts it, “a fundamentalist bubble.” Daughter of a physician and a nurse, she concentrated on scientific studies and had virtually no exposure to any of the arts. This omission was cured in 2001 when the self-described “former suburban housewife” visited New York City and “saw ideas floating in the air when I first came out of Penn Station.” She instantly decided to move to Manhattan.
Although Ms. Aabdock had briefly studied black-and-white photography and taught herself to hand-tint her photos, which led her to investigate decoupage and collage, it was not until 2008, when she “stumbled across” the Art Students League and enrolled in that world-famed atelier, that she began painting highly original oils on canvas.”
— Naomi Graffman, painter/author/mentor, 2010
“Aandra has a unique approach to her paintings. She carries a graphic style and viewpoint along with a dynamic color palette that shows off her ability to focus, creating an evocative thread throughout her work. Thoughtful, yet playful, her exploration of people and forms make for a fascinating visit into her world, and opens us up to a new perspective of humanity.”
— LeeAnn Brook, LeeAnn Brook Fine Art , 2023
“Art should tell stories that help individuals reflect on received values and the societal structures that condition our reception of them. Aandra does this with a sense of humor, whimsy and a humble earnestness which adds a depth of character to the most recent painting and collage works she's been creating.”
— Evan Nesbit, Nevada City artist, 2023
"Aandra’s work is intellectual . . .is directly expressive. . . has direct emotional impact. . .is not naive. . . is not childlike. . . is art—most “art” isn’t. . . is dead serious.”
— Bruce Dorfman, assemblage artist, instructor at Art Students League of New York, 2014
“One of the things that draws me most to Aandra’s work is how deeply personal and revealing her artwork becomes the more she told me the stories that shaped each of her pieces.”
— Leo Javier, BohemiaArts.com, 2013
“Aandra Aabdock’s “Signs and Wonder' was a fanciful melange of painting and collage. . . in a loose painterly manner, combined with esoteric symbols and scrawled phrases. Her metaphysical take on the urban scene was upbeat and refreshing.”
— New York City Gallery and Studio Guide Feb. 2009
Solo Exhibitions
2019 Broad Street Gallery, Nevada City, CA
2016 Yashar Gallery, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY
Group Exhibitions
2021-2024
Blue Line Arts, Roseville, CA
Granucci Gallery, Grass Valley, CA
Sacramento Fine Arts Center, Sacramento, CA
2015-2020
Broad Street Gallery and Bistro, Nevada City, CA
Osborn Woods Gallery, Nevada City, CA
Art Walk/Haalo Herb Shoppe, Nevada City, CA
Fountain House Gallery, Manhattan, NY
2011-2014
Phyllis Harrison Gallery, Manhattan, NY
Viridian Gallery, Manhattan, NY
Manhattan Borough President Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
A.T. Kearney Gallery, Manhattan, NY
2008-2010
Phyllis Harriman Gallery, Manhattan, NY
West Side Arts Coalition, Manhattan, NY
Pen and Brush Gallery, Manhattan, NY
