Beverly Adams’ works will be on display beginning October 6 at the Alma Community Art Center, 213 E. Superior Street in Alma.
On the theme of “Land and Sea,” the artist said it was his interest in gardening and his fascination with life that comes from the shores that prompted the works to be exhibited.
Raised in Okemos, the Crystal resident worked as a graphic designer and seamstress for an opera company before turning to her greatest talent, painting.
She says she was drawn to the field when her sister, an interior designer, needed a specific paint job and couldn’t find anything to do the job. She turned to Adams for help, and it changed Adams’ life.
She was forced to give up oil painting when she developed a paint allergy in college, but found a teacher who knew acrylic paints so she could continue her work. But she took other paths until her sister called her.
After attending to her sister’s needs, Adams returned to her painting in earnest and entered several competitions, doing well in many competitions and even winning a few.
“Some of my proudest moments were being accepted into the Fort Wayne, Ind., Museum of Art for their Contemporary Realism competition in 2008, a four-time Art Prize (a highly competitive, internationally acclaimed show national in Grand Rapids) and several local shows,” she said in a statement.
Additionally, she sold one of her art prize entries to Grand Valley State University for its new medical buildings.
A member of the Alma-based Creative Arts Guild of Mid-Michigan, she got in touch with Diane Clise, director of the Alma Community Art Center.
Adams has some of her artwork in the retail corner of the art center and was interested in expanding. In talking with Clise, they decided that a full exhibit would meet Adams’ need to exhibit his work and also allow the art center to have an exhibit by a local artist.
The still lifes created by Adams are in the style of the classical masters with a modern twist.
Beautiful in their use of color, still lifes are full of intricate detail. At first glance, they may be mistaken for photographs, but on closer inspection, viewers will notice the fine detail Adams incorporates into his work.
“I have been a gardener for a long time. I love working with plant material, fresh soil and beautiful flowers. I have a fascination for what lives and grows outside the earth… I also have a fascination for the sea, shells and corals. I hope you find this as interesting as I do,” she said.
An artists’ reception is scheduled for Tuesday, October 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the art center and is open to the public.
The exhibition will be visible during the opening hours of the Art Center every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment. Call (989) 463-8366 or visit the alma-cac.org website for more information.
