Leslie Adams is a nationally recognized artist who specializes in figurative art and portraiture. Her patrons include many distinguished members of private society as well as the corporate, academic, religious, cultural, and civic leaders of our day.
In a 1992 statement by acclaimed artist, Edward Schmidt, the professor commented not only on the work of Leslie Adams and her passion for that work. He boldly stated, "Leslie Adams, because of her talent and love of drawing, is clearly the most gifted young artist to have come to the Graduate School of Figurative Art of the New York Academy of Art." Two years earlier, the young artist was awarded the Grand Prize in the first International Drawing Competition sponsored by the Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts – a prize that included the coveted Warhol Scholarship and which enabled her to attend the Academy and earn a Master of Fine Arts degree. While in New York, Adams studied with leading figurative artists including Vincent Desiderio, Eric Fischl, Jack Beal, and Xavier deCallatay. In addition to her excellent academic background, she refined her skills through further study with Patrick Betuadier, director of the Atelier Neo Medici.
Beyond purely capturing the likeness of the individual, the portraits of Leslie Adams possess the truth of human nature and the human condition. By responding to the character, the essence and the spirit of those she paints, her portraits reflect the honor and dignity of a corporate or political leader, the innocence and curiosity of a child, or the strength and beauty of a woman. Sally Vallongo, former Senior Arts Editor of the Blade, writes, "Leslie Adams’ pristine portraits of women have the precision of a Leonardo portrait yet seem to glow with a delicacy that is unmistakably feminine."
