Mark Adams Original Vintage 1956 Bay Area Landscape Watercolor Painting San Andreas Valley Ca

Original vintage watercolor painting of a winding road surrounded by mountains in San Andreas Valley, California, by American Tapestry, glass, and watercolor artist Mark Adams, (1925-2006). The painting's medium is watercolor on heavy paper. The painting is signed by the artist in the lower right corner of the painting, and dated with the year '56. The painting's paper sheet size measures approximately 14" x 19.75". The image size of the painting, within the borders, is approximately 13.50" x 19.50". The painting is in overall good condition. Therev minor waving, isolated to the outercolor ofc top edge. Along the top and to the right, there is some minor discoloration, in the form of some scattered dots. In the lower right, along the lower edge, there is a very small tear that is visible verso, but difficult to locate from the front. Please review all of the detailed images as supplemental to this written condition report, for quality assurance. Mark Adams, (1925-2006), was a highly versatile American artist, celebrated for his mastery of color and light across multiple mediums, most notably watercolor painting, Tapestry, and stained glass. Initially an abstract painter, he evolved into a leading figure in the Bay Area art scene. He was renowned for transforming mundane, everyday objects into luminous, "hyper- real" compositions. Mark Adams was born in Firt Plains, New York, on October 27, 1925. Adams initially studied at Syracuse University between 1943 and 1945, before moving to New York City, to study with the legendary Abstract Expresssionist, Hans Hoffman. Adams also studied printmaking at Stanley William Hayter's Atelier 17. Mark Adams arrived in Northern California in the San Francisco Area, in 1946. Shortly after arriving in the state, he worked on the restoration of the Carmel Mission, where he painted the Stations of the Cross. In 1955, Adams traveled to France, to apprentice under Jean Lurcat, at the Ecole Nationale d'Art Decoratif, in Aubusson, where he mastered traditional Tapestry techniques. Adams designed over two dozen Tapestries, often woven in the traditional Aubusson style. Adams returned to Northern California frustrated by the lack of direct control in large- scale Tapestry fabrication. Adams turned to stained glass, and then further evolved to primary work in the medium of watercolor. His larger works, such as the Tapestries at the SFO Museum, also depict local landscapes that he remembered from his life in the Bay area, such as "Pond in Golden State Park", and "Garden in San Andreas Valley". This period brought him the greatest acclaim, focusing on local landscapes in Northern California and Carmel, near his home, as well as the still lifes if everyday objects like hats, bowls of fruit, and "Jell- O". His style in both subjects is characterized by translucent, luminous washes, that explore the interplay between light and strong shadows, reflections, and refractions of light. In 1959, Adams married the prominent printmaker Beth Van Hoesen, with whom he frequently collaborated. They both lived in a converted firehouse in San Francisco"s Mission District, for over 50 years. In 1963, Mark Adams became the recipient of the prestigious Rome Prize. Adams also taught at the University of California, Davis, and at the San Francisco Art Institute.