© Daniel Miller 2007,
The University of Toledo
“Leslie Adams, because of her talent and love of drawing, is clearly one of the most gifted young artists to have come to the Graduate School of Figurative Art of the New York Academy of Art.”
This bold statement made in 1992 by acclaimed artist and professor, Edward Schmidt, comments not only on the work of Leslie Adams but on her passion for that work. In 1990, the young artist was awarded the Grand Prize in the first International Drawing Competition sponsored by the Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts – a prize that included the coveted Warhol Scholarship and which enabled her to attend the Academy and earn a Master of Fine Arts degree. While in New York, Adams studied with leading figurative artists including Vincent Desiderio, Eric Fischl, Jack Beal, and Xavier deCallatay. In addition to her excellent academic background, she refined her skills through further study with Patrick Betuadier, director of the Atelier Neo Medici.
Beyond purely capturing the likeness of the individual, the portraits of Leslie Adams reflect the truth of human nature and the human condition. By responding to the character, the essence and the spirit of those she paints, her portraits reflect the honor and dignity of a corporate or political leader, the innocence and curiosity of a child, or the strength and beauty of a woman. Sally Vallongo, former Senior Arts Editor of the Blade, writes, “Leslie Adams’ pristine portraits of women have the precision of a Leonardo portrait yet seem to glow with a delicacy that is unmistakably feminine.”
Adams’ work has been exhibited internationally and is included in numerous public and private collections in the United States and abroad. Her paintings have received a multitude of awards from institutions including the Toledo Museum of Art, Butler Institute of American Art, The National Arts Club, and The Art Student’s League of New York. She has been honored with Awards of Excellence for her paintings in international portrait competitions sponsored by the American Society of Portrait Artists’ Foundation and the Portrait Society of America including special recognition for her monumental work Athena and for Portrait of the Most Honorable Bishop James R. Hoffman, respectively. In 2005, she was privileged to become the official gubernatorial artist for the state of Ohio. Her portrait of Governor Robert A. (Bob) Taft, unveiled in early 2007, now adorns the William Howard Taft Hearing Room in the Ohio Statehouse. During that same year, Leslie successfully prepared her first major solo exhibition at the Ella Sharp Museum of Art and History – an exhibition which showcased the body of work which she produced during the first decade of her career in portraiture.
Of more recent note, Ms. Adams was honored to be included in Focus on the Figure at the Krasl Art Center in St. Joseph, Michigan where she unveiled her new works based on the principles of Leonardo da Vinci. Included in this major three-person exhibition was a magnificent, large-scale drawing of The Hoffman Brothers, which has recently been recognized by the Portrait Society of America with an Honorable Mention in the category of drawing in its 2009 Member’s Only competition. Although always concentrating on new works and projects, Leslie continues to accept commissions, both public and private, throughout the United Sates and abroad.
To view Leslie Adams' full curriculum vitae, please click here.