With a background in fine art, B. J. Adams’ artwork varies from abstract to realistic images. Her artwork has been commissioned for both public and private collections and has been shown widely throughout the U.S. and abroad in museum and gallery exhibits. A mixed-media artist and teacher since the early 1970s, her work has appeared in many books, catalogs, and publications.
Scroll down to view pieces selected by the Collection Review Panel for inclusion in SAQA's online collection. And don't miss this short video with the artist where she shares her Words of Wisdom.
My artistic life began with painting and drawing. And, I always designed and made my own clothes. These two pursuits found a common end with fiber art. When I discovered fabric and thread as a medium, a whole new textural world opened and ideas poured forth. The sewing machine has become my brush and pencil; hundreds of colors of thread have become paint for realistic and abstract images set on various backgrounds.
My artwork began with representation, developed into abstraction, and now goes back and forth between the two, sometimes combining elements of both, as well as surrealism, in the same work. I want this realistic or surrealistic work to give the viewer a surprise, an out of context image, size, or viewpoint.
While working on one piece, another concept often emerges, and it is this constant, stimulating flow that causes my work to evolve. The unusual or commonplace materials and techniques I use, the focus required by the slow process of this art, and the infinite available subjects, keep my work ever-changing, challenging, and always interesting.
As Jacob Lawrence once said, “All artists are constantly looking for something, and they don't always know what.”
