Hello! It has been a while since my last update from the studio; cancelled art exhibitions and art fairs have made it a difficult year for artists, and everyone has had their daily life and routines upended. I'm honored to have been selected as an artist for the 2020 MPAartfest, which is live for you to explore 24/7 through October 18, 2020. Mclean Project for the Arts has done a fantastic job creating this online art fair experience, I'm excited to share it with you. The best viewing experience from a desktop, but there is a mobile version of the art fair as well. Visit MPAartfest here.
You can also catch an interview with me on Wednesday October 14, at noon. Sign up for the event here.
I hope enjoy the paintings I am sharing at MPAartfest 2020. Since we can't chat about the artwork in person, I recorded a short video greeting from my studio, be sure to check it out. I'd like to hear your feedback or get a conversation going about the artwork, contact me here. All prices include delivery or shipping within 150 miles of Richmond, VA.
Thank you for your interest and support; stay well, I hope to see you soon.

After two weeks of back-to-back art fairs, it is good to be back in the studio unpacked, reconfigured, and starting new projects. I enjoyed the barrage of engaging, thoughtful conversations around the work with enthusiastic people, thank you to all who participated!
I'm also honored to have placed work in collectors homes, and invigorated by the opportunities that are unfolding as a result of CURRENT (Richmond, VA, October 24-27, 2019), and Superfine! DC (Washington, DC, October 30-November 3, 2019).
As always, feel free to email me if you'd like more information on specific work, or to continue a discussion we may have started at CURRENT or Superfine! DC. I look forward to it.

"A new, unique, interactive art fair lands in DC for the second year in a row."

I'm excited to share my new work in a solo booth at Superfine! DC, which will be held at Union Market, October 30 - November 3, 2019. I'll be there for the entire schedule of events; more info and tickets can be found at the Superfine! website.

"Meet the 80+ artists in person, discover your next obsession, and fill your walls with amazing art you can afford. Each day of the fair brings performance art, live music, and multimedia experiences to compliment the thousands of incredible works on the walls! Plus, your ticket can provide you access to complimentary beverages, unique programming, and exclusive events."

October 30-November 3, 2019
John M. Adams - Booth 31
Union Market
1309 5th Street NE
Washington, DC 20002

FAIR SCHEDULE:
General Admission:
Thursday, 10/31 | 12-6PM
Friday, 11/1 | 12 – 10PM
Saturday, 11/2 | 12 – 10PM
Sunday, 11/3 | 12 – 8PM
Early-Access VIP Hours:
10/31 – 11/3 | 10AM – 12PM

Special Events:
Wednesday, 10/30 | 8-11PM (Private Champagne Preview)
Thursday, 10/31 | 7-11PM (DC’s Artiest Halloween Party)
Saturday, 11/2 | 10am-12pm (Private Artist Brunch)

More info and tickets can be found on the Superfine! website

The Current Art Fair is back for 2019, and I'm thrilled to be exhibiting with Shockoe Artspace. Join us!

More information including the schedule and tickets can be found at the Current Art Fair website.

October 24-27, 2019 (VIP Preview October 24, 6-9pm)
Bon Secours Washington Redskins Traning Center | Level 2
2401 W Leigh St, Richmond, VA 23220

From the Current Art Fair website:

"Richmond, Virginia has blossomed into a food and cultural destination and come October it will host the only contemporary art fair in the Commonwealth. CURRENT kicks off with a VIP Preview on Thursday, October 24 and opens to the public October 25-27. CURRENT will be chock full of art-centric activities including a massive exhibition space, a dozen presentations in the Current Theatre, an outdoor interactive area and The McKinnon and Harris Current Lounge where you can sit back, relax and take it all in.

COLLECT. CREATE. CULTIVATE."

I hope you can join us for the Strictly Painting 12 opening reception on Saturday, June 8, from 5-7pm at the McLean Project for the Arts, located at 1446 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA 22101.
I'm honored to have my work selected by the juror, Adah Rose Bitterbaum (owner/director of the Adah Rose Gallery in Kensington, MD). I look forward to exhibiting with this exciting group of painters at MPA through July 13, 2019.

I am pleased to have my painting Of Splinters and Feathers on the cover of the June, 2018 issue of Whurk magazine. There is a short cover story on my two-person exhibition with my good friend and artist Matthew Grimes.
Whurk features artists and authors with significant ties to Virginia, preferably ones who are based in state. The magazine's editorial focus also favors those who are part of public events hosted within the Commonwealth. The publication is available online and in hardcopy; check out Whurk here or pick up a copy at art organizations around the commonwealth.

We had a fantastic opening reception for i m m e r s i o n : e m e r s i o n on June 1 at Commune in Norfolk, Virginia (759 Granby Street). I a greatly appreciative and thankful to our Curator Carrie Coleman (Carrie Coleman Fine Art) and the Rutter Family Art Foundation for generously sponsoring this exhibition.

There was a packed house with well over 100 people at the opening reception (and an equal or greater number at the private pre-party hosted by the Rutters). I'm honored by the level of enthusiasm for the artwork from attendees, and I am always humbled when my work finds new homes.

Thank you Norfolk, Virginia! The exhibition is on view through August 19, 2018. Additional information about the exhibition can be found in the press release below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- April 21, 2018

RUTTER FAMILY ART FOUNDATION AND CARRIE COLEMAN FINE ART PRESENT:

i m m e r s i o n : e m e r s i o n

John M. Adams Matthew Grimes

JUNE 1 - August 19, 2018

Norfolk VA- Carrie Coleman Fine Art is pleased to announce the opening of immersion:emersion, a curated exhibition of two Virginia artists, John M. Adams and Matthew Grimes. The exhibition opens Friday, June 1, at Commune (759 Granby Street) in the NEON District of Norfolk with an opening reception beginning at 6pm.
The exhibition, featuring deconstructed paintings and mixed media works, will remain on view through August 19, 2018.

i m m e r s i o n : e m e r s i o n
Employing unique individual approaches, Matthew Grimes and John M. Adams create work that is a reaction to immersion within specific environments. Each artist physically deconstructs and reconstructs major elements, altering their interpretation of the initial experience and developing new relationships between intention and memory.
This juncture of disparate elements simultaneously causes tension and unexpected harmonies, blurring the lines between origin of experience and the structure of memory and ultimately format of the artifact. The work exhibits intricately fabricated compositions while relying heavily on exploratory yet confident gesture, nudging the viewer to ponder their own relationships with experience and memory.

John M. Adams -
My artwork activates the perceptual connection between artist, object, and viewer. In this new body of work I am continuing my exploration of the art object as a catalyst for contemplation and meditation for the viewer as well as the artist.
The “Current Interrupted” series consists of paintings that have been separated into strips and reconstructed in a way to create new relationships by being put into a new context. Fluid marks are juxtaposed with the regulated rhythm of sharp horizontal line breaks, creating a fluttering vibration and tension in the paintings. I’m interested in what happens when snippets of perception are edited, reconfigured, and compartmentalized to give them new meaning.

Matthew Grimes -
As so often in life, more is to be discovered beyond what is transpiring immediately in front of us. The act of paying attention to this serves the genesis of my currently expanding line of deconstructed collage paintings. The streets, in particular of Santiago, Chile, are laden with posters screaming intentions via graphics, imagery, and words. Yet it isn’t the designed communication that pulls me in, but the allure of the endless decaying layers of juxtaposed color and texture producing in concert an almost silent chance of passive composition. Off the street, further investigation of these happenings takes place on wood panel along with paints, drawing, and the occasional found object, reinterpreting the original found paper moments via gestural innovation. My intention is to bring to light the electric beauty of which falls silent to most passersby, ciphering the positive qualities out of the banal of everyday to act catalyst towards increasing observation of this world we live in.

Carrie Coleman Fine Art -
Carrie Coleman has an extensive background as an art dealer, having worked at renowned art galleries in Richmond and Philadelphia. In 2010, Carrie founded Carrie Coleman Fine Art to fill the void of high quality, affordable fine art in the Hampton Roads area. Carrie works directly with artists and with regoinal and national galleries to offer a wide variety of innovative and visually stunning works. She was excited to put together this show of fellow James Madison University graduates, John M. Adams and Matthew Grimes.

This exhibition has been generously sponsored by the Rutter Family Art Foundation.

The Rutter Family Art Foundation exists to support nonprofit arts organizations in Hampton Roads and to bring contemporary art to the widest possible audience. The Foundation operates from the historic Texaco Building on Granby Street in the heart of Norfolk's NEON Arts District.

VENUE LOCATION AND HOURS:
Commune
759 Granby St, Norfolk, Va
www.communevb.com/commune-norfolk
Monday - Thursday, 8:00am–3:00pm
Friday - Sunday, 8:00am-4:00pm

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR APPOINTMENT CONTACT:
Carrie Coleman
CARRIE COLEMAN FINE ART
757.374.6989
carriejcoleman1@yahoo.com
www.carriecolemanfineart.com

IMAGES ARE AVAILABLE FOR REPRODUCTION

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John M. Adams – INTERVAL
December 1 – February 23, 2017
Opening reception: Friday, December 1, 2017 6-9PM
Artist Talk: Saturday, December 2, 2017 2-3:30PM

SHOCKOE ARTSPACE is pleased to present INTERVAL, a solo exhibition by recently relocated to Richmond artist John M. Adams.

Interval is comprised of a wide array of lush abstract paintings. Meticulous in their crafting, Adams sense of color and touch culminates in a body of work that both rewards and dually challenges the most careful and keen observer. This is an exhibition that truly must be seen!

Artist Statement
My artwork activates the perceptual connection between artist, object, and viewer. In this new body of work I am continuing my exploration of the art object as a catalyst for contemplation and meditation for the viewer as well as the artist.
The “Current Interrupted” series consists of paintings that have been separated into strips and reconstructed in a way to create new relationships by being put into a new context. Fluid marks are juxtaposed with the regulated rhythm of sharp horizontal line breaks, creating a fluttering vibration and tension in the paintings. I’m interested in what happens when snippets of perception are edited, reconfigured, and compartmentalized to give them new meaning.

Bio
Adams was born in Hampton, VA and grew up in rural Gloucester, VA surrounded by the open water and tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. His work continues to be influenced by his passion for exploring the natural world as much as it is influenced by the structure of the urban and suburban environments.
Adams recently relocated his studio to Richmond, VA after working in the DC Metro area for 16 years. He earned a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and a MFA from James Madison University. His work can be found in private, corporate, and public collections such as the Wilson Building (DC City Hall) and the DC Art Bank Collections. He has received numerous awards including a Graduate Fellowship From the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and a Strauss Grant.

For further information and available works, please contact the gallery.

Shockoe Artspace
info@shockoeartspace.com
12 N 19th Street Richmond, VA 23223
www.shockoeartspace.com

Interval (solo exhibition)
Opening Reception:
6-9pm, Friday, December 1, 2017
Shockoe Artspace
12 North 19th Street
Richmond, VA 23223

My artwork activates the perceptual connection between artist, object, and viewer. In this new body of work I am continuing my exploration of the art object as a catalyst for contemplation and meditation for the viewer as well as the artist.

The “Current Interrupted” series consists of paintings that have been separated into strips and reconstructed in a way to create new relationships by being put into a new context. Fluid marks are juxtaposed with the regulated rhythm of sharp horizontal line breaks, which creates a fluttering vibration and tension in the paintings. I’m interested in what happens when snippets of perception are edited, reconfigured, and compartmentalized to give them new meaning through their relationship to the whole.

Additional info about this work:

I'm an avid outdoorsman and find myself equally inspired by the structures of the natural world and of those of the suburban/urban environment in which I work. The format of this work was also influenced by the birth of my son, who was born in the spring of 2016: he is with me everyday so he spends quite a bit of time with me in the studio.

The rhythm and atmosphere of my studio has been fundamentally altered because of my son- its no longer just me in the studio for hours, thinking, looking, making marks. My time and attention are divided between him and the work. I quickly realized long painting sessions in which I got lost in my work were no longer a possibility. I had to find a way to be able to create continuity, flow and maintain focus in the paintings while working in 5, 10, or 15 minute snippets of time.

The bulk of this new work has been created in my new studio in Richmond, VA in the summer and fall of 2017.

Thank you Shockoe Artspace for including my work in the Current Art Fair at Main Street Station in Richmond Virginia, September 29-October 1, 2017. The Shockoe Artspace crew/ artists were so much fun. I am so thankful to have such a warm welcome to Richmond with a number of works finding new homes here. Thanks Richmond, I'm feeling the love.

My work is being featured in two juried exhibitions in the summer of 2017, perfectly timed to coincide with my move from the DC Metro area to Richmond, VA. I'm honored to exhibit with a number of large number of artists I've met across the mid-atlantic region over the last 20+ years, I'm excited to see their work.
Strictly Painting 11 opens June 15, 2017 at the McLean Project for the Arts. Strictly Painting began as a show in 1995, when Andrea Pollan, MPA’s exhibitions director at the time, wanted to show a survey of what local artists were painting. Now in its eleventh iteration, the show has evolved to a highly anticipated exhibition of the best regional painting.
Radius 250 2017 opens May 26 at Artspace. Located in Plant Zero Arts Center in Richmond's Manchester district, Artspace is a non-profit, artist-run gallery and performance space committed to showing innovative work by established and emerging artists. Since 1988, Artspace has been an intrinsic part of the visual and performing arts community of Richmond, Virginia. artspace exhibits works by regional, national, and international artists.

I'm honored to have my work selected for East City Art's Emulsion exhibition for the second year in a row with this fabulous group of DC area artists. I will be at the opening reception and participating in the artist talk.

Opening Reception: Friday March 3, 6-8:30 pm
Artist Talk: Tuesday, March 7, 6pm

Pepco Edison Place Gallery
702 8th St. NW
Washington, DC

Read about the artists from the exhibition here.

I was pleased to be asked to submit an essay about my work for publication in Bourgeon, a Washington, DC-based online publication whose mission is to increase participation in the arts and to improve access to the arts as a bridge-builder between contemporary artists and audiences.
In the essay, I discuss my work in general but focus on my latest site-specific work Terminal Flux. You can read the essay here.

Terminal Flux is the largest site-specific drawing I have created, it occupies the atrium of the Schlesinger Arts Center on the NVCC, Alexandria Campus, and was installed in just five days (January 9-13, 2017). The drawing measures approximately 23 feet tall and 30 feet wide. It will be on view for approximately one year.

Eric Hope from East City Art wrote about the installation after a visit to NVCC during the install- Read that review www.eastcityart.com/reviews/east-city-a…

View the press release from NVCC.

I'm pleased to have had "That Three O'Clock" selected by Juror Ken Harman (Owner/Director of Hashimoto Contemporary and Spoke Art, Former online editor of Hi-Fructose Magazine) for inclusion in the New Waves 2017 exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art.

New Waves 2017 at Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art
2200 Parks Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
January 28-April16, 2017

Solo Exhibition: Current Interrupted
You can read a Q&A about the paintings I made for this exhibition here.
Forum Gallery, Schlesinger Center, NVCC Alexandria Campus
4915 East Campus Drive, Alexandria, VA 22311
September 23-December 18, 2016
Artist Talk, 1-3 pm, October 22, 2016

Dialogue: A Visual Conversation
Curated by Sharon Burton, Jacqui Crocetta, and Tessa Barr
Dennis and Phillip Ratner Museum
10001 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD
October 30, 2016 - January 4, 2017