Explanation and a preview

You may have been wondering about the break between my posts, here is the answer and an exclusive preview

[Alexander Adams, Man at a Bookcase (12 March-5 April 2024), O/24/07, oil on canvas board, 40 x 30 cm]

As long-time readers will know, I generally post about 2 to 4 times per month, but haven’t posted anything for almost a month. Firstly, thank you for your patience and sticking around. Secondly, my apologies. I should have explained in advance there would be a gap between posts.

So what’s been happening? A lot. I am working on two new books (monographs about artists) and that has taken a lot of my time. The other project that has taken up my attention is preparations for a new solo exhibition of my art, opening this month. This required me to paint six new paintings (two of which you’ll see here, published here exclusively) to make the exhibition fresh. Then these works (and about 20 others) had to the be photographed, framed and packed.

[Alexander Adams, For Delacroix II (31 March-10 April 2024), O/24/09, oil on canvas, oval, 42 x 30 cm]

The project sent me delving into my archive. I found and assessed dozens of paintings and drawings to get the right combination for the show. Some pictures I had forgotten about were perfect; others were old favourites… that turned out to be disappointing or otherwise unsuitable. Happily, the archives are very large, so I could select a really strong group for this exhibition. The works date from 1996, just after I left art school, up to last month. I will announce the full details of the exhibition when it launches at the end of this month. In the mean time, here are three paintings never exhibited before, two fresh from the easel.

[Alexander Adams, For Velazquez (version A) (1996), oil on canvas, 28.5 x 20 cm]

In addition to the work on the books and this exhibition, my writing here has slowed in the last month because I have also been thinking hard about how to provide top-level content for Substack without compromising my artistic output. Being analytical in writing and thinking can often be antithetical to the business of making art, which (in my case at least) depends on intuition and fruitful unknowing. “Fruitful unknowing”? I would say that if an artist understands the wellspring of his creativity and the motivation for his choice of subjects and themes, he can find that source drying up. So, when writing, I consciously avoid thinking too deeply on certain subjects for fear that I’ll end up compromising the excitement and wonder I feel when making my own art. Choosing my subjects and approaches when writing needs extra care.

I have a few articles lined up for Substack soon, ones that I think will surprise and provoke. It’s my job to get them right and make sure they are as good as they can be. Thank you again for your patience, especially to my paid subscribers, who make my work possible.

I should also add that I have been working hard on the new website and adding new art. You can visit it here: www.alexanderadams.art