Steve Adams is an interior designer as well as an artist working in acrylics on cardboard and Red Rosin paper used commonly in construction.

Cardboard is something we deal with daily and mindlessly toss into recycling without giving it much attention. Its utilitarian and pedestrian characteristics add to our ability to ignore the subtleties it contains within the construction of the material. After having painted only on canvas and having a large quantity of boxes after moving, I wondered how it could work as a painting surface.

I learned it has all sorts of inherent textures of divots, bumps, ridges as well as handle holes and tears in the edging and surfaces that make for exciting discoveries to appear. The surface became a unique characteristic for the paint to engage with and contributed to the surface play. It was an exciting discovery.

After feeling satisfied working with cardboard, I moved to Red Rosin paper, curious about its surface and texture. Once gessoed, it holds the paint well and the surface becomes like smooth leather. It has been another outlet in which to explore with paint and see how the art responds to it.

The Creative Process is an ongoing and endless one that allows me to continue to explore and express through, following its guidance and the new places it wants to take me. The colors and shapes keep changing and keep showing me new places in which to explore. I never know where a painting will take me as I follow its lead as new worlds develop and express themselves through the creative journey.

I am an artist working in the Oakland/SF Bay Area and am proud to be a part of a thriving artist community within the Bay.