Since early 2000 Lawrence McAdams, a California native has been painting and exhibiting in California. From The Laguna Art Museum in Laguna Beach, to San Francisco, at the San Francisco Fine Art Fair, McAdams has also exhibited in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. McAdams work can be found many in private and corporate collections, including those of Hurley International in Costa Mesa, CA.
Exhibiting in the George Billis Gallery Southampton is McAdams first foray in New York, where he hopes his paintings that combine an East Coast love of story with a West Coast love of light will resonate.
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"The Last Refrain" by Lawrence McAdams. Oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches.
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The images in his paintings are metaphors for the adventure, battle and beauty of life. They were created to intrigue, inspire, or connect with viewers – and their own stories.
As a painter, he strives to hint at the mystery, complexity of human relationships and life with a clever or subtle point-of-view. “I tend to let much of the narrative that undergirds my paintings happen off the canvas,” says McAdams who has studied under Bo Bartlett, Daniel Greene, Jeremy Lipking, Steve Huston, Scott Burdick, David Leffel, and Ken Auster.
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"The Long Surrender" by Lawrence McAdams. Oil on canvas, 60 x 42 inches.
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McAdams’ images have been described by several notable critics, private art dealers and newspapers. Comments include: “Clever and subtle, the paintings of Lawrence McAdams succeed... McAdams’ work explores the peculiar alchemy of figure and environment in narrative construction, seducing the viewer with deceptively simple scenes populated by equivocal details. One painting, 'The Door,' depicts a young woman waiting by a door that could be either open or shut, wearing an indeterminate black garment and holding an indecipherable letter. The painting invites the viewer to speculate, but commits to no single interpretation; the young woman may be reading a love letter or a devastating communiqué. Many are cinematic in their sweep and composition and… even suggest film noir.”
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"Double Jeopardy" by Lawrence McAdams. Oil on canvas, 27 x 32 inches.
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And perhaps the most complimentary statement from a critic yet comes from Josef Woodard, art critic for the Santa Barbara Independent:
Lawrence McAdam’s exhibition at George Billis Gallery Southampton continues through September 29th at 46 Main Street, Southampton.
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"A Degree of Balance" by Lawrence McAdams. Oil on canvas, 12 x 12 inches.
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"In Search of Mr. Hopper" by Lawrence McAdams. Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches.
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"Lost & Found" by Lawrence McAdams. Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches.
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BASIC FACTS: Lawrence McAdam’s exhibition at George Billis Gallery Southampton continues through September 29, 2016. George Billis Gallery is located at 46 Main Street, Southampton, NY 11968. www.georgebillis.com.
To see more of Lawrence McAdams' work, visit www.LawrenceMcAdams.com. Connect with him on social media at:
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