Early Life, Training and Artistic Beginnings

Susan Adams began her path in Texas. It was there that she first started to develop her technical skills, eventually moving on to Maidstone College of Art to hone her craft. Her education did not stop with traditional methods; she later pursued postgraduate studies at Cardiff University and Middlesex University, where she focused on Electronic Arts. This period of study allowed her to explore the intersection of digital media and the physical world, a curiosity that would follow her for years.

A specific moment in Chicago changed the direction of her work. While visiting the Chicago Art Institute, she saw the Monet exhibit. The experience of seeing those paintings in person ignited a deep interest in Impressionism. It was this encounter that anchored her commitment to capturing the fleeting light and the natural world. This shift in perspective helped shape how she approaches the canvas, moving her toward a focus on the way light and atmosphere interact with the landscape.

Artistic Style and Technical Approach

Her work is built on a foundation of meticulous detail and a steady commitment to realism. She seeks to capture the way things actually look, ensuring that the ordinary retains its matter-of-fact quality. This focus on the tangible is shaped by the influence of Luminist painters like John Ottis Adams, whose quiet depictions of rural landscapes inform her own approach to light and space. She often blends Impressionistic brushwork with sculptural modeling techniques, creating canvases that possess a certain tactile presence and atmospheric depth.

There is a specific intentionality in her choice of materials. She incorporates metallic pigments into her oil paintings, a method used to heighten visual impact and introduce an ethereal quality to the surface. This technique allows her to bridge the gap between the physical world and something more luminous. Her practice is not limited to the canvas; she moves between drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and video, exploring how different mediums can hold a sense of narrative.

Life and Inspiration in Costa Rica

More than twenty years ago, Adams moved to Costa Rica, settling into the landscapes of the Guanacaste Province. The terrain here provides the primary subject for her work. She finds her direction by immersing herself in the environment, describing her process as entering into her paintings to feel the action or simply to enjoy a moment spent in nature. This connection to the physical world informs the way she approaches her canvases.

Her work has traveled far from the tropical settings that inspire it. Collectors have acquired her pieces in various locations, including Tokyo, Berlin, England, Scotland, Germany, Spain, Australia, the United States, Canada, and Costa Rica. This wide reach reflects the interest in her specific way of seeing the natural world.

Recognition and Professional Achievements

Her work has found its way into several publications, appearing in the pages of Estillos y Casas, Landings (Nature Air), The Howler, El Residente, and Southern Living. These features have helped bring her specific way of seeing the landscape to a wider audience. In Texas, her presence in the art community was marked by receiving the Best of Show in 2002 at the Corpus Christi Art Center. This recognition came alongside other honors, including a First Place award from Southern Living Magazine, specifically the Green Home, Purchase Award.

Her reach extends into international circles through the support of the Wales Arts International, which granted her the International Opportunity Fund Award. This support has allowed her to maintain a practice that bridges different geographies and mediums. Her ability to connect with various communities is also seen in her involvement with the “Chance to Create Award” and “Community Befriending” initiatives, where art is used as a tool for social engagement.

Where to See the Works Today

Pieces of her work can be found in several locations, including the Gwynedd Museum And Art Gallery in Bangor. Within that collection, one can find the piece titled Waiting for Something, 1–30, which dates from about 2002. Her presence in public spaces has also been marked by exhibitions at the Welsh National Opera, Bardsey Island, and Shaftesbury Abbey.

Her work has also been recognized by institutions such as Gloucester Cathedral and the Millay Colony for the Arts in New York. These settings reflect the places where her paintings and other forms of her art have been held or displayed.