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click images to enlarge   "The Memory of Leitmotif"   18 x 15" Oil on panel 2007   “The Climate Border”  47 x 42” Oil on panel 2007   "Captain Eddie II"   17" x 15” Oil on panel 2005   “Sit Still”  17" x 18” Oil on panel 2006   “Chop Wood Carry Water”  48" x 60” Oil on panel 2006-07   “Xenomorphic”  42" x 47” Oil on panel 2007

Lisa Adams Artist Statement The long and personally challenging process that brought me to art making involved a reclamation of my own freedom as a woman living in the world today. I try in my work to embody my own sense of what it is to be alive, to encapsulate the difficulties in being human, experiencing all the itinerant shadings of joy, sadness, rage and despair, the things I am sometimes afraid to look straight in the face. Most of my paintings ask difficult questions both of me and of the viewer. These questions comprise a larger aesthetic that infuses my interest in spiritualism, pathos and the strangely complicated and enigmatic discourse between human beings.   The images that reappear in my work again and again derive from a deeply felt psychologically charged aesthetic, one in which ideas of personal integrity merge with larger, more universal concerns.   In my most recent work, I combine spiritually referential elements--images of flora with ethereal backgrounds--to create a tension between the unexpected and the predictable, and to create for myself a "safe" space in which to imagine. I don't want to believe in the paradigms we all live by, however, they are unavoidable, and I try, in my work to subvert them if only to prove to myself that it can be done.   Lisa Adams 2007 ____________________________________________________ Lisa Adams is a painter and public artist who lives and works in Los Angeles, California.  Ms. Adams graduated with a B.A. in Painting from Scripps College in Claremont, California and received her M.F.A. from the Claremont Graduate University.   She is the recipient of a Fulbright Professional Scholar Award, a Brody Arts Fund Fellowship and a Durfee ARC Grant. Her work is in the collections of Eli Broad, The Frederick Weisman Museum and the Laguna Museum of Art.   She has taught in many reputed art departments throughout the Los Angeles area and abroad, including the University of Southern California, the Claremont Graduate University and Otis College of Art & Design in Los Angeles.   In addition to her practice as an artist, Ms. Adams works as an independent curator, who in 2000, co-founded Crazy Space, an alternative exhibition space, in Santa Monica.  She is also the author of "FM*," (Peeps Island Press, 1999) a How To book about painting, based on her teachings at the Santa Monica College of Design, Art and Architecture between 1997-1999.   Ms. Adams has been an artist-in-residence in Slovenia, Finland, Japan, Holland and Costa Rica. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.  She was also commission by BMW of North America to paint an ArtCar.  She has been included in ³A Day in the Life of the American Woman, ³ Bullfinch Press, 2005, and is currently working on a public art commission for the new Fire Station No. 64 in Watts.   __________________________________________________________________     EDUCATION 1980 - M.F.A., Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA 1977 - B.A., Scripps College, Claremont, CA       1976 - University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany _________________________________________________   SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2007 I LIKE INTERROGATIVES, Lawrence Asher Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2005 HELLO.  IT’S ME, White Box Gallery, Marina del Rey, CA REMEMBER?  I CAN’T REMEMBER, Greenleaf Gallery, Whittier College, Whittier, CA 2004     WHAT HAPPENED?, The Office, Huntington Beach, CA 2003      WISH I WAS HERE, The Sandbox, Venice, CA 2002           IMPERFECTION, Patricia Correia Gallery, Santa Monica, CA 2001       HOW PERFECT IS PERFECT?, The Living Room, Santa Monica, CA 2000       APOCALYPSE TWINS, (collaborative art team the “apocalypse twins” with Jill Giegerich), Crazy Space, Santa Monica, CA WORKS ON PAPER, Takumi Studios, Gifu Design 2000, Gifu City, Japan _________________________________________________   GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2006    GOOD TO GO, Newspace, Los Angeles, CA ABSOLUTE CONTROL OVER EVERY LIVING SOUL, Hanger 1018, Los Angeles, CA FIN, Bedlam Gallery, Los Angeles, CA VITAL GROUND, The House of Fine Art, Livingston, MT ORION’S SHORTS, First Annual Film Festival, Landers, CA 2005             PINK, Patricia Faure Gallery, Santa Monica, CA THE FIRST 80 YEARS, Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA LOCAL ARTISTS:  PAINTING AND WALL SCUPTURE,Venice Art Gallery, Venice, CA SMACK!, at the brewery project, Los Angeles, CA THE USUAL SUSPECTS, Thomas Lavin, Pacific Design Center, Los Angeles, CA THE SOCIAL, The Arsenal, Los Angeles, CA 2004                 CARPETBAG + COZYSPACE, Healing Arts Gallery, Brooklyn, NY L.A. WOMAN, Gallery C, Hermosa Beach, CA 31 FLAVORS, Antai Gallery, Los Angeles, CA unRAVEL,  at the brewery project, Los Angeles, CA VISUAL POETRY, Healing Arts Gallery, Brooklyn, NY 2003                 TINSELTOWN, Domestic Setting, Los Angeles, CA DEEP WATER RUNS STILL, Jan Baum Gallery, Los Angeles, CA PAINTING TODAY, The Art Institute of California, Santa Ana, CA THE USUAL SUSPECTS, Bedlam Gallery, Los Angeles, CA BEAUTY STRIPPED BARE, L.A. BLACK AND WHITE, BGH Gallery, Santa Monica, CA A RALLY FOR TRIPLE CANDIE, Triple Candie, New York, NY NOTEBOOK, Pinkard Gallery, Bunting Center, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD 2002                 IMPROMPTU:  IMPROVISATION WITH DIGITAL MEDIA, UCR/California Museum of Photography, Riverside, CA VAN AND HATCH-BACK SHOW, East Side Crawl, Los Angeles, CA BIG WAVE  IV, AndrewShire Gallery, Los Angeles, CA FIRST RUN, Patricia Correia Gallery, Santa Monica, CA UTOPIAN GRID, Coagula Gallery, Los Angeles, CA TRANSIT PROJECTS:  SURVIVAL L.A., Raid Projects, Los Angeles, CA 4TH ANNUAL VIDEO MARATHON, Art in General, New York, NY GENERATION WHY, (“You Are Here,” video with Jill Giegerich as the apocalypse twins), Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA     _______________________________________________   SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS EDWARD ALBEE FOUNDATION, Montauk, NY HOWREY AND SIMON, Los Angeles, CA ARATEX, Burbank, CA NIPPON STEEL USA INC., Los Angeles, CA LAGUNA MUSEUM OF ART, Laguna Beach, CA FOUR SEASONS HOTEL, Scottsdale, AZ ELI BROAD, Los Angeles, CA JOHNSON FAIN PARTNERS, Los Angeles, CA JEFFERY DANIELS & ASSOC., Los Angeles, CA SHERATON HOTEL, YOKOHAMA, JAPAN FREDERICK FISHER & PARTNERS, Santa Monica, CA TAJIMA CORPORATION, Los Angeles, CA GIFU PREFECTURE GOVERNMENT, Gifu City, Japan FREDERICK R. WEISMAN MUSEUM, Malibu, CA USSO  COMPANY LTD., Tokyo, Japan HARRAH’S CASINO, Atlantic City, NJ CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY, Orange, CA ROUND TRIP LLC, Los Angeles, CA CAPITOL HILL HYATT, Washington  DC _________________________________________________ GRANTS/AWARDS 2002 - ARTIST IN RESIDENCE,  The Julia and David White Artists’ Colony, Costa Rica 2000 - ARTISTS’ RESOURCE FOR COMPLETION GRANT,  The Durfee Foundation ARTIST IN RESIDENCE, World Design City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan 1999 - ARTIST IN RESIDENCE, Nordic Institute for Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Finland 1997 - ARTIST IN RESIDENCE, Pont Aven, France (not realized) INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR, University of California, Los Angeles Extension 1996 - FULBRIGHT PROFFESSIONAL SCHOLAR AWARD TO SLOVENIA 1993 - NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS EXCHANGE TO JAPAN, finalist 1992 - BRODY ARTS FUND FELLOWSHIP 1991 - FULBRIGHT PROFESSIONAL SCHOLAR AWARD, finalist ________________________________ ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS 1999-07 - Advisory Board Member, LOS ANGELES ART ASSOCIATION, Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA 1988-07 - Member, COLLEGE ART ASSOCIATION, New York, NY 1996-03 - Member, FULBRIGHT ASSOCIATION, Washington, DC 1998-99 - Member, BEYOND BAROQUE, Venice, CA 1994-96 - Board Member, SIDE STREET PROJECTS, Santa Monica, CA 1994-96 - Board Member, LARABA (Los Angeles River Arts and Business Association). Los Angeles, CA 1992-94 - Board Member, DOWNTOWN ARTS PARTNERSHIP, Los Angeles, CA ________________________________   BIBLIOGRAPHY 2006      Hart, Scot, “Artist Profile,” LIFESCAPES, June/July 2005          Saline, Carol, Dawn Sheggeby and , Sharon Wohlmuth; A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE AMERICAN WOMAN:  HOW WE SEE  OURSELVES. New York:  Bullfinch  (reproduction only) 2004    Otto, Susan; “Reviews,” ART IN AMERICA, January Pence, Elizabeth; “Patrons of the Arts:  Conversations,” ANGELENO MAGAZINE, June Pence, Elizabeth; “Reviews, L.A. Woman at Gallery C,” ARTWEEK, June, Vol. 35, Issue 5 Mendenhall, Lauri; “Art Access,” COAST, May Frank, Peter; “Pick of the Week: L.A. Woman,” LA WEEKLY, May 6 Schoenkopf, Rebecca; “Wank,”  OC WEEKLY, May 6 Wood, Eve; “Mojo Rising,” artnet.com, April 29 2003     Gleason, Mat; “Art Angelenos, 24 Hot Tickets To The L.A. Scene,” MODERN PAINTERS MAGAZINE, March Calder, Diane; “Lisa Adams,”  ART SCENE, March 2002 Grundy, Gordy; “Transit Projects:  Survival L.A., exhibition catalogue essay, July Scarborough James; “Reviews,”  NY ARTS MAGAZINE , May, Vol. 7, No. 5 Lasarow, Bill; “Lisa Adams,” ART SCENE, April Gleason, Mat; “Lisa Adams, Solo Show at Patricia Correia Gallery,” COAGULA ART JOURNAL, April Gleason, Mat; “Mat’s On-Line Journal,” March 12 2001          Muchnic, Suzanne; “Tower of Independent Power,” LOS ANGELES TIMES, April15 2000          Tgelaers, Theo; “Personals, Part 2, Look-A-Like,”  exhibition catalogue essay, September O’Brien, John; “Personals,”  exhibition cataloque essay, March Woodard, Josef; “‘A Spot in the Mind’” at I-5 Gallery, ARTWEEK, March, Vol. 31, No. 3 - back to top -

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