Contemporary American artist Peter Adams is esteemed for his beautiful Impressionist paintings. He uses oil paints to create vivid landscapes and figurative works that saturate the canvas with color. Adams is known for combining the Western artistic tradition with Eastern influences picked up from his extensive travels.
Adams was born and raised in California. He studied at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California; the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles; the Instituto de Bellas Artes in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; and the Lukits Academy of Fine Arts in Los Angeles.
Four of Adams’s seven years at the Luktis Academy were spent as an apprentice to Theodore Lukits, a renowned Impressionist painter. He was also introduced to Chinese porcelains and sculptures, which sparked an interest in Asian art that spurred him to travel. In 1981, he traveled and painted unescorted through the People’s Republic of China, becoming the first American artist to do so. He was also the only American artist to travel with the mujahideen rebels of Afghanistan in 1987.
Adams became the president of the California Art Club in 1993, a role he has served in ever since. Established in 1909, the organization only had 80 members at the time. Under his leadership, the membership has grown to around 3,000.
In 2007, he earned the John J. Geraghty Award for advancing traditional fine art as well as the gold medal for the best painting from his fellow members at the California Art Club. In 2009, Fine Art Connoisseur presented Adams with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Adams is represented by American Legacy Fine Arts in Pasadena. His works are in the collections of the Carnegie Art Museum in Oxnard, California; the Haggin Museum in Stockton, California; the USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, California; and Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of Peter Adams’s paintings.
Towering Cumulus at Day’s End, Oceanside, CA
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist; January 2024 submitted to Autry Museum of the American West for the "Masters of the American West" exhibition and sale. Signed "Pet...
Oil, Panel
Parting Mist; Kalalau Lookout, Kauai
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Artist Statement "Painting in Hawaii is always a challenge because the weather and atmospheric conditions are constantly changing. This scene of the Kalalau Lookout had it been paint...
Oil, Panel
Neptune's Fountain at Sunset, Huntington Gardens, San Marino
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by American Legacy Fine Arts directly from the artist UNFRAMED: 16" x 20" FRAMED: 24.5" x 28.5" x 2" Exhibited "San Marino League: Art Matters"...
Oil, Panel
Quiet Pool; Arroyo Seco
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist UNFRAMED: 12" x 16" FRAMED: 18.5" x 22.5" x 1.5" Exhibited The Diverse Environments of the Arroyo Seco: Paintings from the Californ...
Oil, Panel
Going Home; Tehachapi, California
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Peter Adams" on lower right UNFRAMED: 20" x 24" FRAMED: 26.75" x 30.75" x 1.75" Artist Statement "The last rays of the su...
Oil, Panel
Afternoon Glow; Kern River
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed 'Peter Adams" on lower right UNFRAMED: 12" x 9" FRAMED: 18.875" x 15.875" x 1.75" Exhibited Spring into Art 2024, presente...
Oil, Panel
$4,900
Christmas Eve at City Hall from the Terri and Jerry Kohl Stairway, Dorothy Chand
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist UNFRAMED: 18" x 16" FRAMED: 24.5" x 22.5" x 1.5" Signed: "Peter Adams" on lower left Exhibited Downtown Impressions: Plein Air Pe...
Oil, Panel
Sierra Grandeur; 5th Lake View of Mt. Robinson and Palisade Glacier
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by a Private Collector, Encino, California from American Legacy Fine Arts in 2005 American Legacy Fine Arts acquired the work directly from the artist in 2004 Si...
Oil, Panel
Morning Clouds Hovering Below Mount Blanca; Trinchera Ranch, Colorado
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Artist Statement "While staying at the Forbes' Trinchera Ranch in southern Colorado, I was intrigued by seeing this heavy cloud layer every morning hovering below Mt. Blanca's impressive peak of 14,351 feet. The cloud layer created an atmospheric division between the cool shadows below and the bright, warm light above." ―Peter Adams Description The artist's particular bold, broad brushwork magnifies a sense of epic in this pristine scene. The painting exemplifies the American West as an expansive land of free spirit and boundless possibilities. The colors are opulent and there is an intriguing sense of mystery about the subject, a Shangri-la feeling. The presentation of the painting makes a grand entrance statement. Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Gallery Note The artist began the painting in 2006 and completed it in November of 2017. Exhibited Maxwell House...
Oil, Wood Panel
Quiet Pools above Sturtevant Falls; Angeles Crest Forest
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist UNFRAMED: 20" x 16" FRAMED: 27" x 23" x 3" Signed "Peter Adams" on lower right
Oil, Panel
Towering Cumulus at Day’s End, Oceanside, CA
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist; January 2024 submitted to Autry Museum of the American West for the "Masters of the American West" exhibition and sale. Signed "Pet...
Oil, Panel
Afternoon at Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos, California
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Peter Adams" on lower right Exhibited Fleeting Moments 2nd Biennale: Works en Plein Air, American Legacy Fine Ar...
Oil, Panel
Quiet Pools above Sturtevant Falls; Angeles Crest Forest
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Peter Adams" on lower right UNFRAMED: 20" x 16" FRAMED: 27" x 23" x 3" Exhibited The Diverse Environments of the Arroyo S...
Oil, Panel
Philosophers' Wall; Shasta Caves
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Artist Statement "As I am fascinated with lighting, I often carry colored lights with me when I paint in order to illuminate scenes. This work was pain...
Oil, Panel
Windy Afternoon at Leo Carrillo Beach
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Peter Adams" on lower left UNFRAMED: 16" x 20" FRAMED: 25.5" x 29.5" x 1.75" Exhibited A Journey Along the California Coa...
Oil, Panel
Brilliant Reflections; Rocky Point, Carmel, California
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Peter Adams" on lower right Artist Statement "While on a recent painting trip along the 101 Highway to Carmel I stopped twice to paint at one of my favorite spots, Rocky...
Oil, Panel
Golden Cove Breakers; Rancho Palos Verdes
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist. Signed "Peter Adams" on lower right. Artist Statement “At the time of big surf in the late afternoon, it is wonderful t...
Oil Pastel
Afternoon Glow, Cathedral Cove, Anacapa Island
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Peter Adams" on lower right Description This plein air oil painting depicts the uniqueness of Anacapa Island in the chain of Southern California’s Channel Islands archipelago. Anacapa was formed by volcanic eruptions. Its desolate landscape is dominated by a distinct geology of steep precipices and jagged rock formations. From this elevated viewpoint, Adams portrays the location known as Cathedral Cove with its outcropping spires and massive kelp beds that hug the shoreline. The peak of the middle island of Anacapa is visible in the distance, and further out to sea is Santa Cruz Island...
Oil, Panel, Linen
Pastoral Morning; Redding
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired directly from the Artist by the gallery Signed "Peter Adams" on the bottom right Description While a guest on a private ranch in Redding, California artist Pete...
Pastel
Faithful; St. Malo Beach, Oceanside
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Artist Statement “I am particularly interested in unique lighting effects and how these effects reflect, refract, diffuse...
Pastel
Fallen Trees; Strawberry Peak
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Peter Adams" on lower left UNFRAMED: 20" x 16" FRAMED: 27" x 23" x 2.5" Exhibited "The Diverse Environments of the Arroyo...
Oil
Commerce along the Pearl River
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Exhibited China's Crown Jewel; Recent Paintings by American Artists, American Legacy Fine Arts, June 21 – July 28, 2019 ...
Oil, Panel
$5,962
H 18.5 in W 22 in
Fishing on the Seine - Impressionist Landscape Oil Painting by Alexandre Jacob
By Alexandre Louis Jacob
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed oil on panel landscape circa 1940 by popular French impressionist painter Alexandre Louis Jacob. The work depicts a man fishing on the bank of the River Seine in France on a c...
Oil, Panel
$700
H 14 in W 14 in
"Eastern Plains of Colorado" By Sparky LeBold, Colorado Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Eastern Plains of Colorado" by Sparky LeBold (US and Portugal based) is a beautiful handmade oil painting that depicts a view of the vast green plains of Colorado, with the famed su...
Oil, Panel
$9,547Sale Price|30% Off
H 21 in W 17 in
Sur la Plage - Impressionist Oil, Figures in Coastal Landscape by Alfred Stevens
By Alfred Émile Léopold Stevens
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed and dated figures in seascape oil on panel by Belgian impressionist painter Alfred Emile Leopold Stevens. The work depicts an elega...
Oil, Panel
Provincetown
By Max Kuehne
Located in Milford, NH
A colorful impressionist coastal oil painting of Provincetown by German / American artist Max Kuehne (1880-1968). Kuehne was born in Halle, Germany, and emigrated to Flushing, New Y...
Oil, Panel
$7,333
H 16 in W 20 in
Rochers par temps gris - Impressionist Seascape Oil Painting by Emilio Boggio
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
A beautiful oil on panel circa 1900 by French impressionist painter Emilio Boggio. The piece depicts a coastal scene. The blue-green water crashes against the rocks on a grey day. S...
Oil, Panel
$9,895
H 23.5 in W 27 in D 2.5 in
Pair Antique Oil Paintings Scottish Highland Loch Scenes G. F. Buchanan 1872
Located in Portland, OR
A fine pair of antique oil paintings Scottish Highland Scenes by George Frederick Buchanan (1800-1874) Landscapist George Frederick Bucha...
Oil, Panel
Gateways
By Peter Poskas
Located in Greenwich, CT
American, b. 1939 Prominent 21th Century American landscape artist Peter Poskas has been painting New England for more than three decades. While his earliest pieces were reminiscent of Edward Hopper...
Oil, Panel
Aftermath of a Tyne River Storm
By Robert Salmon
Located in Costa Mesa, CA
Painted with unsurpassed detail, Robert Salmon's works are desirable to collectors the world over, due to the impressive amount of historic subject matter presented through artistic compositions of the highest order. As an artist Salmon was one of the most important to come out of England and immigrate to America in this period, influencing the art of Fitz Henry Lane...
Oil, Panel
$1,800
H 12 in W 16 in D 0.75 in
A Florentine Bar Florence Impressionism 12 x 16 2024 Duomo Drinks
By James Crandall
Located in Houston, TX
A Florentine Bar Florence Impressionism 12 x 16 2024 Duomo Drinks Also shown is "Girl with Aperitivo" which is 16' x 12" and is available. This Florentine painting by James Crand...
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Panel
$600
H 8.5 in W 6.5 in D 0.75 in
"Lovers in the Rain" Small Impressionist Oil Painting of Figures by Eiffel Tower
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
This painting depicts an impressionistic Plein Air scene of a couple under an umbrella by the Eiffel Tower in the rain. The thick brush strokes and fun marks creates an atmosphere re...
Oil, Wood Panel
$12,500
H 26.5 in W 30.5 in D 3.25 in
Antique American Marine Seascape Oil Painting Crashing Surf Atlantic Coast Maine
By Frederick Judd Waugh
Located in Portland, OR
A fine antique seascape oil painting on panel by the celebrated marine artist, Frederick Judd Waugh (1861-1940), depicting the Atlantic of the coast of Maine, circa 1910. The painting is finely executed with bold and decisive brush strokes with crisp edges, one can almost hear the roar of the ocean as the surf crashes upon the rocks. The painting is signed lower right "Waugh" and is housed in the original carved & gilded frame. Condition is very good indeed, this fine seascape by one of America's most acclaimed late 19th early 20th century marine artists is ready to grace your wall. The painting will be accompanied with a certicificate of authenticity & provenance. Frederick Judd Waugh was an American artist, primarily known as a marine artist. During World War I, he designed ship camouflage for the U.S. Navy, under the direction of Everett L. Warner. Waugh was the son of a well-known Philadelphia portrait painter, Samuel Waugh. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts with Thomas Eakins, and at the Académie Julian in Paris with Adolphe-William Bouguereau. After leaving Paris, he moved to England, residing on the island of Sark in the English Channel, where he made his living as a seascape painter. In 1898 he was recorded as living in Heath and Reach, Bedfordshire. In 1908, Waugh returned to the U.S., settling in Montclair Heights, New Jersey. He had no studio until art collector William T. Evans (a railroad financier and President of the dry goods firm, Mills Gibbs Corporation) offered him one in exchange for one painting a year. In later years, he lived on Bailey Island, Maine, and in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Waugh’s marinescapes were highly acclaimed, garnering him the Popular Prize at the Carnegie International Exhibition for five years in a row, a feat accomplished by no other artist. In 1914, he was a judge of the art exhibit on Monhegan Island, Maine during the 1914 Ter-Centenary celebration of the Voyage of Captain John Smith. In addition to his marinescapes, Waugh sometimes published work in periodicals, such as The Green Sheaf, to which he contributed at least one illustration. He also produced paintings and sketches on legendary and mythological themes; see, for instance, his 1921 sketch “Levitation in Dream No. 3”, and his c. 1912 painting “The Knight of the Holy Grail”. In 1918, Waugh was recommended to serve as a camouflage artist (or camoufleur) for the U.S. Navy, as a member of the Design Section of its marine camouflage unit. That section was located in Washington, D.C., and was headed by American painter Everett L. Warner. According to a biography of Waugh, “Many large ships, including the Leviathan, were painted according to his designs. Though the enterprise was of course a team effort in which no man played a solo part, he had every reason to be proud of his record. Only one ship with his system of camouflage was lost during the war”. Waugh was known to produce literary work, publishing a short poem in Pamela Colman Smith’s short-lived periodical The Green Sheaf; a fairy tale in The English Illustrated Magazine; and, in 1916, the book The Clan of Munes...
Oil, Panel
$2,765
H 9.45 in W 13.39 in
Landscape With Mill at Sunset by Swedish Artist Mauritz Lindström
Located in Stockholm, SE
The small yet stirring painting "Landscape With Mill at Sunset" showcases the remarkable talent of Swedish painter Mauritz Lindström. He was a resp...
Oil, Wood Panel
Sold
H 50.375 in W 40.375 in D 1.625 in
Ethereal Lights, Electric Fountain; Beverly Hills
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist. FRAMED: 50.375" x 40.375" x 1.625" UNFRAMED: 40" x 30" Artist Statement "As a young boy, my father o...
Oil