The late poet philosopher John O’Donohue’s concept of beauty goes far deeper than popular culture’s superficial view. He wrote, “At the deepest level, creativity is holiness. To create is to further the dream and desire of the creator. When the world was created it was not a one-off, finished event. Creation is a huge beginning, not a finished end. Made in the image and likeness of the Divine Imagination, human creativity helps to add to creation. The unfinished is an invitation to our imagination. This is what happens in experience: the unfinished reaches towards us in order to come to form and expression…Everything we feel, think and do, even the smallest thing, expresses and unfolds the dream of God.”
Author Archives: Michael Lynn Adams
From concept to finished painting, in this oil painting demo, Michael Lynn Adams explains why and how he captures a peony’s soft, luminous texture by placing it on hundred-year-old art books.
I often use a harmonic symmetry armature to check and refine my compositions and as a guide for drawing my composition onto a canvas. Here, I explain with text and video, what it is; and why and how I use harmonic symmetry.
Michael Lynn Adams shares how Richard Schmid’s color chart exercise saved his art career.
Andres Leonard Zorn (1860-1920) is known for using a limited palette. It is believed that Zorn reduced his palette to as few as three rather earthy colors – Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Red Medium, Ivory Black plus White. There seems to be some disagreement over the exact number of colors on his palette. Some lists add Vermillion, Viridian, and/or Cerulean Blue.
Recently old photographs of my family have fascinated and inspired me to reinterpret them in paint. Its a special way to connect to some really wonderful people. Here, for example, is my aunt Lolo, and my father, Richard in 1927. They were Americans both born in Paris, France during the 1920s when my grandfather, Lewis Adams, was studying architecture at the École des Beaux Arts.
From concept to finished painting, in this oil painting demo, Michael Lynn Adams explains why and how he captures its soft, luminous texture and intoxicating aroma by placing it on hundred-year-old art books.
We picked the lemons, and placed them on a wooden tray bathed in the warm glow of our kitchen window. We intended to craft margaritas, this spontaneous moment ignited my creative spirit, leading me to explore the world of art. In this step-by-step guide to painting Meyer Lemons, I’ll share my inspiration and the creative process behind this painting.
A gorgeous collection of luminous still life paintings by Michael Lynn Adams, created to bring everlasting beauty to your home.
Step-by-step oil painting tutorial. I walk you through my process of painting White Roses.
I painted Plums after harvesting them at a friend’s farm. This tutorial takes you step-by-step through my process of painting, Plums.
A gorgeous collection of original flower paintings by Michael Lynn Adams, created to bring everlasting beauty to your home.
Fruit Painting Collection celebrating the light, textures and sumptuous beauty of fruit.
Discover the stories of inspiration and fantasy that breathe life into Michael Lynn Adams’ Italian Collection.
From France, Italy, California vineyards, and the mountains of Southern Oregon Michael Lynn Adams’s gorgeous landscape collection.
Creating beautiful oil paintings without poisoning myself and the world is important to me. I have been oil painting for nearly four decades and have never been happier than when I paint with M. Graham & Co. walnut oil based paints. Over the years I have tried nearly every high-priced professional art oils on the market and I keep coming back to M. Graham.
This leather box originally belonged to my grandfather, Lewis G. Adams. He has been my life-long inspiration and hero. An American art student in Paris during the 1920’s, he became a major architect in New York City. He was also an accomplished watercolor painter. Above all, he was one of the most creative, funny, generous and compassionate human beings I ever knew.
Meyer lemons are wonderful. They have a magic balance of tart and sweet. Perfect for making all manner of tasty treats. My favorite? Margaritas! The bounty of lemons arrives in late fall to early winter. I love that summer sunshine is packed in these beautiful fruit. These lemons were picked from a tree in our back yard and sliced in front of our kitchen window. The window faces south inviting the sunlight to flood in.
Maybe it’s California’s drought… Walking in our backyard after a morning drizzle and seeing droplets on their leaves and petals compelled me to paint these lovely roses. The water is so precious in California now. A beautiful rain storm washed months of dust from our garden making the greenery and flower colors spectacular. Life […]
Fresh bread glistening and warm, the centerpiece of an perfect breakfast in Saint Remy de Provence. Savoring a gorgeous June morning with these treats, large cups of cafe au lait and hours of conversation is a wonderful time to remember.
This is the view from the Lafond Winery’s picnic area in Santa Barbara wine country’s Santa Rita Hills. Lafond is hands down our favorite Santa Barbara County winery. The tasting room manager and staff are good friends as is the winemaker. Plus, many items we have purchased from their wonderful gift shop that have found their way into my paintings.
Richard Schmid is one of the few courageous and incredibly talented artists, late 20th Century artists who swam against the tide of pop, post-modern, conceptual and other movements to kept representational art alive. Schmid is not only a great painter he is one of the most generous and gifted teachers of the fine art of painting.
The theme of this little painting, Peeled Lemons, is a favorite of mine – peeled fresh fruit with old books. This book is a prayer book dated 1715. I love the mix of textures. The intertwining of old and new intrigues me. The fleeting freshness of the lemon’s peel and juicy meat dried within hours of being peeled. The peel almost embraces the prayer book, a treasured possession of a now forgotten man or woman whose notes, written nearly 300 years ago, can be discovered on its pages.
Ah Paris! It has been a few years since we have been in Paris but the memories of the beautiful city are intoxicating. Rue Mouffetard is an area of Paris’ Left Bank not far from Notre Dame and the Latin Quarter, that has a fantastic open-air market. The aroma of flowers, produce, pastries, and cheeses fill the air as does the chatter of Parisians and tourists. This display of artichokes was so expertly displayed, with a great sense of color and texture, I could not get the sight out of my mind until I put it on canvas when we returned home. Paris is an inspiration.
The Adventurers is my salute to my first art hero, Winslow Homer. His paintings of endless summer days, Breezing Up, Snap the Whip, his watercolors of the Bahamas. I love the carefree feeling he created of being in nature and embracing life. He also had the amazing gift to create timeless and universal images from contemporary life. My hope was to come close to doing the same in The Adventurers.
Velasquez and Burne Jones was painted for the prestigious art show, Artists for the New Century. The artists for this invitational show were nominated by the editors of American Art Collector, Southwest Art, and Fine Art Conniosseur magazines. The textures and the way the light play on the fresh fruit contrasts with the earthiness of old leather-bound volumes. I simply I loved painting it. Artist for the New Century will run June 6 and runs through July 14, 2012 at The Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, Vermont.
A Meyer Lemon is nothing like your ordinary store-bought lemon. Its skin smoother with a color that leans toward gold. Their juice is sweet with a hint of orange through the subtle tartness. The truth is I am infatuated by their look, especially when washed by the southern light from our kitchen window. Even though our tree is loaded with these wonderful fruits in the winter, they remind me of warm summer days.
Los Angeles is not always paradise. Where we live the street are often too crowded, the summers are furnace hot. Fall,commonly referred to as fire season, brings a few days – sometimes weeks – of dry, hot Santa Ana winds which blow with hurricane force.
But one thing, a huge thing, LA has going for it is what I think of as its second spring. In nearly every other part of the country fall means leaves are turning, the grass is dying and winter is clearly on its way. It is now December and our grass is still green and our garden is a cloud of soft cream, pink and blue. Bougainvillea is in glorious deep magenta bloom. Hummingbirds feed on the flower nectar and Monarch butterflies stop to visit as they migrate from Mexico to northern California.
Two weeks ago I brought these roses in from the garden. Washed with early morning sunlight, the lure to paint them was too strong to ignore. I offer them to you as a gift of the season – our second spring.
Sometimes I feel compelled to paint a subject for no reason other than to satisfy an obsession. This is one of those times. The books belonged to my grandfather. Given to him in 1910 and subsequently came into my possession. As realist still life painter I feel a connection to Chardin, one of the greatest still life painters ever. Vermeer is an artist whose little paintings tower over nearly every artist before and after him. I am always inspired by the intimacy of his work. And of course there is Degas, Millet and so many wonderful artist who have added so much beauty to my life and who have led me to see the world anew time and time again.
There was something a little melancholy about Arles. Beauty is found there. At the heart of the city, I was surprised and impressed by the well preserved Roman amphitheater and the arena – which is undergoing a very dramatic restoration.
Of course Arles’ most famous – perhaps infamous – resident was Vincent Van Gogh. This is where some of his finest paintings were created – “Starry Night”, “The Cafe with the Yellow Awning,” “The Postman”. It is also where Gaugin lived with Vincent for a short time until Vincent’s troubling behavior became too much to tolerate. After Vincent’s notorious breakdown when he sliced a piece of his ear off and presented it to a prostitute, the people of Arles had him arrested and petitioned him to be expelled from the city. That led to his move to the asylum in St. Remy.
The copper bowl used in Sunshine Bowl is usually on our mantle. We filled it full of ripe Meyer lemons from a backyard tree. I am always amazed at the bounty of fresh citrus we get in the winter. Lemons often make an appearance in my paintings. They symbolize life. Storing energy from the summer sun and the nutrition from the earth, they are the perfect, healthful fruit.
St. Remy in Provence offers so many sensual treats. Golden sunrise – didn’t see many of those as we also love to sleep in. The herbs and flowers in the garden giving up subtle hints of their afternoon perfume But the best is the fragrance of coffee and fresh baked French breads. Flaky or crisp crusted, French breads are the best in the world. I loved the contrast of the woven basket, white cotton lining and the golden breads. On a weathered teak wood table, under a canopy of trees caressed with soft Provencal morning sunlight – what a great way to wake up my sleepy eyes.



































