Former WHITESNAKE Guitarist Satisfies His Need For Visual Expression

A web site dedicated to former WHITESNAKE/VANDENBERG guitarist Adrian Vandenberg's drawings and paintings can be accessed at www.vandenberg-art.com. An excerpt from a posting on the site reads as follows:

"Although Adrian Vandenberg was long known to the world as a guitarist and composer, he always remained loyal to his passion for drawing and painting. Swallowed up by intensive tours with his bands, that took him to all corners of the world, he still found the time and the opportunity to satisfy his need for visual expression in his few free hours. Although opportunities to draw and paint were limited to odd moments, his love of art was never entirely overshadowed by the time-consuming demands of his music.

"Adrian Vandenberg belongs to that relatively small group of people with dual talents. In the Netherlands such people are seen as difficult to classify, and so regarded with suspicion. The prevailing wisdom is that one person cannot develop two talents at the same time. But that is only partially true. Vandenberg knows better than anyone that artistic abilities can be pushed to one side. After completing his education at the Academy of Arts in Arnhem in the early 1980s, the visual arts temporarily faded into the background to make way for a tempestuous music career. Only in 1998 did he finally decide to put art first and to concentrate upon expanding the body of work which until then had been building up gradually during 'stolen' moments.

"The drawings and paintings of Adrian Vandenberg are characterised by their impetuosity. It would seem obvious to ascribe the dynamism and tempo of his work to the hectic lifestyle which goes with being a celebrated guitarist. But the creative urge does not stand on its own. Social engagement is as much part of it as artistic inspiration. The artist has both feet firmly on the ground, and expresses this through lively and colourful compositions placed with panache on the paper or canvas."