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
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
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
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
Pools of Hahamongna; Arroyo Seco
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist. UNFRAMED: 30" x 40" FRAMED: 39" x 48.5" x 3" Artist Statement “For this large painting I did a number of preparatory ...
Oil, Panel
Peaceful Passage; Batiquitos Lagoon, Carlsbad, California
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Peter Adams" on lower right. Description Peter Adams' flare for combining real places with dreamlike visions is ...
Panel, Oil
$5,929
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
$9,765
H 22 in W 25 in
Le Pont Neuf - Impressionist Figures in Landscape Oil by Amedee Marcel-Clement
By Amedee Julien Marcel-Clement
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed and dated figures in cityscape oil on panel by French impressionist painter Amedee Marcel-Clement. The work depicts a view of the Pont Neuf bridge that runs over the River Sei...
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
Old House, Built in 1848
By Gilbert Neumann
Located in Austin, TX
"Old House, Built in 1848" by painter Gilbert F. Neumann Medium: Oil paint on panel Size: 9 x 12 inches Frame Size: 14 x 18.5 inches A nostalgic painting of ...
Oil, Panel
$7,292
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
$2,950
H 16 in W 16 in D 2 in
Fortune Favors the Bold by Ginny Williams Still Life Oil Paintig, Black
By Ginny Williams
Located in Atlanta, GA
Fortune Favors the Bold by Ginny Williams is an intimate contemporary still life painted in oil on panel, measuring 16 x 16 inches. This original artwork pairs vibrant florals with g...
Oil, Panel
$7,000
H 10.5 in W 16 in
Vienna Flower Market oil painting by Emil Barbarini
Located in Hudson, NY
Painting measures 10 ½" x 16" and framed 20 ½" x 26" x 4"
Oil, Panel
Taroudant
Located in New Orleans, LA
Signed, inscribed and dated "R. Pinatel / Taroudant / 1926" (lower right) Oil on panel A stunning ode to the Moroccan landscape, this oil on panel was composed by the French Orientalist painter Raphaël Pinatel, whose lively works adeptly translated the romanticism of the East for a Western audience. The present work, which captures a market in Taroudant, a city in southeastern Morocco, exemplifies the artist’s distinctive approach as he brilliantly translates the energy and atmosphere of the desert city. Pinatel’s style is impressionistic in his brushwork and handling of light and atmosphere. In the present work, he brilliantly captures the effects of the direct desert sun...
Oil, Panel
$5,000
H 22.5 in W 18.5 in D 1 in
Copy of "Wall Street - The Noon Hour" by Felicie Waldo Howell created in 1925
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful copy by an unknown artist, of the original painting "Wall Street - The Noon Hour" originally created in 1925 by the great American artist Felicie Waldo Howell (1897-1968)...
Oil, Wood Panel
$10,835
H 8.5 in W 9.5 in
Figures on the Beach - Impressionist Oil, Coastal Landscape by Andre Devambez
By André Devambez
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed and titled oil on panel figures in landscape circa 1920 by French impressionist painter Andre Devambez. The piece depicts couples and families en...
Panel, Oil
"Cloud Composition 7" Original Realist Skyscape with Clouds
Located in Denver, CO
"Cloud Composition 7" is a realistic capturing of a golden skyscape, created with oil paint on panel. This piece is framed at 9.5 x 9.5 inches and is ready to hang. Jesse Mangerson ...
Oil, Panel
$4,738
H 11.82 in W 28.75 in
Beppe Ciardi (Venetian master) - Early 20th century set of 3 paintings - Venice
By Beppe Ciardi
Located in Varmo, IT
Beppe Ciardi (Venice 1875 - Quinto di Treviso 1932) - Triptych of views of Venice. 9 x 15 cm each without frame, 30 x 73 cm with frame. Oil on board (1) and cardboard (2), in carve...
Paper, Mixed Media, Oil, 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