Bob Adams
Born and raised in Oklahoma, Bob Adams grew up with Kiowas and Comanche Indians as his next door neighbors. Their oneness with nature instilled a love of the land in Adams which still shines through today in paintings that are known for their balance of light, nature and spirituality. Although landscapes remain his favorite subject, the artist also enjoys painting a variety of subjects including figures and wildlife. In addition, he is well known for his images of vintage cars and trucks. Adams traces the influence for this work back to a love of automobiles which he gained while watching his older brother race cars in Oklahoma.

Adams confides that he did not set out to become an artist, but he eventually began to experience a strong desire to preserve memories from his childhood. "About ten years ago, I started portraying images from the past, and it was such a satisfying thing to recall those feelings and experiences that I finally began painting full time in 1995."

The artist's work has been juried into the prestigious Sierra-Providence/El Paso Art Association "Arts International" Exhibition every year from 1993 to the present. About the art Primarily self-taught, Adams has taken numerous workshops, including several with renowned artists such as Aleksander Titovets and Howard Carr. He is also an active member of the Plein Aire Painters of El Paso. He states that the more he paints and the more he challenges himself the more his work improves. "It is important that wherever you paint, you need to paint as often as possible in order to grow as an artist."

Adams explains that painting outdoors is very important when creating accurate landscapes and that painting plein aire has been invaluable to his career as an artist. He notes that he has learned a great deal about techniques such as mixing colors and creating spontaneous compositions by painting on site. When doing other subjects such as still lifes or figurative work, Adams prefers to paint in his studio working from photographs or else simply creating from his imagination. Collectors of Adams' work are especially intrigued by his diversity of subject matter and medium. He is most comfortable working in acrylics, but he has also mastered watercolor, oils and pastel.

Adams' work is in private collections in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, New York, Florida, Minnesota, Wisconsin, California and Kansas. Adams has been represented by the Hal Marcus Gallery for two years. Marcus relates, "Bob is a professional artist who takes his work very seriously. He has developed a palette using blues, rose and orange colors which is defining his work. I believe his desert landscapes are his strongest works, and they are getting a lot of attention from local collectors." - Myrna Zanetell

---