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
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
$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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
$4,500
H 9 in W 12 in D 0.5 in
"Trumans Beach, East Marion 06.06.2022" contemporary impressionist seascape, oil
By Nelson H. White
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Trumans Beach, East Marion 06.06.2022" is an almost-abstract palette knife landscape painting of a beach and beach shrubs. Off in the distance is a little white triangle of paint to emulate a sailboat...
Canvas, Oil, Panel
$800
H 14 in W 30 in D 0.8 in
Canyon Rock, Landscape, 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: 2022 Style: Impressionism, Subject: Canyon Rock, Size: 14" x 30" x ...
Canvas, Oil
$9,683
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
$3,850
H 30.25 in W 36.5 in D 1.25 in
Carl Lindin Waterways Swedish Coastal Seascape Oil Painting, 1920s–30s
By Carl Lindin
Located in Denver, CO
Waterways is a serene and luminous original oil painting by Swedish-American artist Carl Lindin (1869–1942), a founding member of the Woodstock Artists Association and an influential...
Oil
Gloucester
By Guy Carleton Wiggins
Located in Milford, NH
A fine impressionist harbor scene in Gloucester, Massachusetts by American artist Guy Carleton Wiggins (1883-1962). Wiggins was born in Brooklyn, New York, and had a long and success...
Oil, Board
$1,250
H 25 in W 21 in D 2 in
American Impressionist Landscape - Listed Pennsylvania artist Ira Deen, ca 1930s
Located in Baltimore, MD
A dramatic landscape by well-listed Pennsylvania artist Ira Deen. This is one of the largest and most lively of his works that I have ever seen. The scene depicts a late summer/early...
Oil
$3,000
H 27.75 in W 33.75 in D 1.5 in
"Autumn Landscape" Colorful Pastoral Landscape Oil Painting on Canvas Framed
By Robert Waltsak
Located in New York, NY
A wonderful impressionist pastoral landscape in the Autumn season with beautiful color tones throughout. Waltsak has portrayed this piece in a most intimate, yet energetic way, and h...
Canvas, Oil
"On the Horizon" (2025) Oil Painting, Colorado Landscape
By Michael Magrin
Located in Denver, CO
Michael Magrin's ( US based) "On the Horizon" is an original, handmade oil painting of a sunset above Colorado plains. This piece is framed in a "barn wood" frame and is ready to han...
Linen, Oil, Wood Panel
$6,390
H 16.54 in W 23.23 in
View Over Lyngby Sø, Copenhagen. Painted in Grisaille
By Peder Mørk Mønsted
Located in Stockholm, SE
This signed and dated landscape titled Lyngby Sø presents an unusually restrained exploration within Peder Mønsted’s overwhelmingly polychrome productionn. E...
Canvas, Oil
$4,000
H 37 in W 42.5 in D 2 in
"Cherry Blossoms in Spring" Colorful Landscape Oil Painting on Canvas Framed
By Robert Waltsak
Located in New York, NY
A wonderful impressionist pastoral landscape with beautiful color tones throughout. Waltsak has portrayed this piece in a most intimate, yet energetic way, and has packed much feelin...
Canvas, Oil
$2,491
H 11.82 in W 9.85 in D 1.97 in
Galerie Vivienne, Paris - 21st Century Hyper Realistic oil painting
By Roos van der Meijden
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Roos van der Meijden Galerie Vivienne, Paris 30 x 25 cm ( framed 38 x 33 cm, frame is included in price ) Acrylic on canvas Dutch artist Roos van der Meijden is famous because of he...
Oil, Panel, Wood Panel
"Run Off" (2022) By Judd Mercer, Original Oil Painting
By Judd Mercer
Located in Denver, CO
Judd Mercer's (US based) "Run Off" (2022) is an original handmade oil painting depicting a small waterfall on a run off from a river. Artist bio/statement Judd Mercer is a contempo...
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