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.
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
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
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
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
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 ...
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
Snow and Boulders on the Pacific Crest Trail; San Gabriel Mountains
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Peter Adams" on lower left UNFRAMED: 18" x 24" FRAMED: 26.375" x 33.25" x 1.5" Exhibited Exploration of the San...
Oil, Panel
Light in August; Trail up to Strawberry Peak, San Gabriel Mountains
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist FRAMED: 49" x 39" x 1.5" UNFRAMED: 40" x 30" Signed "Peter Adams" on lower right Artist Statement "This painting was inspired by ...
Canvas, Oil
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
Morning Break, Malibu Point
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist. Signed "Peter Adams" on lower left. UNFRAMED: 12" x 16" FRAMED: 20" x 24" x 1.5" Artist's Statement "At Malibu's furth...
Pastel, Archival Paper
$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
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
Faithful; St. Malo Beach, Oceanside
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Peter Adams" on lower left. UNFRAMED: 12" x 16" FRAMED: 21" x 25" x 1.5" Artist Statement “I am particularly i...
Pastel
Quiet Pool; Arroyo Seco
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist UNFRAMED: 12" x 16" FRAMED: 18.5" x 22.5" x 1.5" Signed "Peter Adams" on lower right. Exhibited The Diverse Environment...
Oil, Panel
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
Philosophers' Wall; Shasta Caves
By Peter Adams
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Peter Adams" on lower right. Artist Statement "As I am fascinated with lighting, I often carry colored lights...
Oil, Panel
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
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
$1,981
H 16.54 in W 14.97 in
River Landscape - 19th Century Antique Belgian Impressionist Oil Painting
Located in Sevenoaks, GB
* No US duty or taxes to pay on works of art * A very beautiful signed and dated 1875 oil on panel depicting a river landscape, by Belgian artist Vital de Gronckel. Excellent quali...
Oil, Panel
Metsälampi (Forest Pond), 1942
Located in Stockholm, SE
Metsälampi (Forest Pond) is a 1942 oil painting on panel by the Finnish artist Ragnar Ungern, depicting a forest pond with overhanging trees reflected in its still waters. Created in...
Oil, Wood Panel
$1,800
H 7 in W 9 in D 0.75 in
"River Town New Hope PA, Bucks County" Impressionist Pastoral Scene Oil Painting
By Christopher Willett 1
Located in New York, NY
A charming Impressionist summer pastoral scene depicting the New Hope town near the lake in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This piece is executed in an intimate yet energetic manner. Ch...
Oil, Board
$3,000
H 12 in W 24 in
"Harmony" (2024), Original Midwestern Plains Landscape Oil Painting
By Stephanie Hartshorn
Located in Denver, CO
"Harmony" (2024) by Stephanie Hartshorn is an original handmade oil painting on wood panel that depicts a serene midwestern plain in early afternoon. Artist Statement As a nod to m...
Wood, Oil, Panel, Wood Panel
$4,050
H 28 in W 53 in D 1 in
Winter, Landscape Impressionism Large Original Oil Painting, Ready to Hang
By Vahe Yeremyan
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Vahe Yeremyan Work: Original oil Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2017 Subject: Winter, SIZE: 28" x 53" x 1.5''inch Unframed, Stretched o...
Canvas, Oil
$3,415
H 15 in W 21 in D 3 in
George Boyle Impressionist oil painting, Barbizon School of cows grazing
Located in Harkstead, GB
A superb example of a Barbizon inspired landscape painted by the "Catford Corot" from the late 19th Century. This very striking image shows the artist at the absolute peak of his abi...
Oil, Wood Panel
Peonies in Amber
By Nikolay Dmitriev
Located in Zofingen, AG
Experience the striking contrast of delicate pink peonies against a fiery, textured backdrop. This original oil painting combines bold, expressive brushstrokes with timeless floral b...
Oil, Board
$2,000
H 7 in W 12.5 in D 1 in
"Bull Elk Grazing" American Impressionist Wildlife Scene Oil Painting Framed
By Christopher Willett 1
Located in New York, NY
A charming Impressionist painting celebrating North American wildlife, depicting a serene scene with several elk in a meadow with a forested and mountainous background. This piece is...
Oil, Board
Where the Day Fades
By Nikolay Dmitriev
Located in Zofingen, AG
Immerse yourself in the warm, nostalgic glow of a peaceful twilight. This exquisite oil painting masterfully captures the fleeting magic of sunset casting its amber light over a quie...
Oil, Board
$600
H 8 in W 6 in D 0.75 in
"Lovers in the Rain -Paris-" Impressionist Oil Painting 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
$2,600
H 7 in W 12 in
"September Tree Colors Near Pinyon Mesa" By David Grossmann, Original Painting
By David Grossmann
Located in Denver, CO
David Grossman's (US based) "September Tree Colors near Pinyon Mesa" is an oil on linen panel created in 2025 depicting an abstracted Colorado landscape. About the artist: David G...
Linen, Oil, Panel
$2,050
H 29 in W 54 in D 1 in
Through the Forest, Original Oil Painting, One of a Kind, Ready to Hang
By Vahe Yeremyan
Located in Granada Hills, CA
ARTIST: Vahe Yeremyan WORK: Original Oil Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas YEAR: 2018 STYLE: Impressionism, SUBJECT: Through the Forest, SIZE: 29" x ...
Canvas, Oil
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