Meet Lauren Adams | Artist and Art Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Adams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I worked in restaurants throughout college, and after. I thought,”if I can’t find permanent employment with a company as an artist, how do I capitalize on my talents and start my own business?”.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I don’t remember a time in my life where I was not interested in creating. My mom tells me that I began drawing recognizable figures as soon as I could clutch a crayon. My inspiration has always been the world around me, the inner world, and my attempt to reconcile the two and capture something of them for myself. I was always drawing, and in high school I began formal drawing instruction which led me to painting.

After earning my BFA in Illustration from SCAD Savannah, I moved to Atlanta and worked in the restaurant industry as a server. I was also singing in a band at the time and doing some illustration and painting commissions here and there. I fell into decorative painting mostly by accident. Painted faux marble was popular at the time, and my mom bought a faux marble painting kit for us to try at home. That somehow morphed into decorative painting commissions and painting a lot of faux marble and trompe l’oeil on furniture and decorative accessories along with some portraits and other paintings for restaurants and private clients locally and around Georgia.
I used to carry a pocket-sized portfolio of my work with me to work. Restaurant patrons would often inquire as to what I “really” did (assuming that serving was not my career), and that’s when I would pull out that little portfolio and show them. One evening, a diner who happened to be a prestigious Atlanta interior designer took a look at my book, and she started hiring me for decorative painting jobs. Things really took off around this time. About a year later, after a lot of hard work, cold calls and serious networking, I was able to give notice at the restaurant and officially launch my business. I connected with another decorative painter, and we became business partners. Business was booming and we were working for clients all over the city and the southeast until the recession, and then suddenly the work was gone.

Part of me regretted not getting a painting degree the first time, and so I decided to pursue a master’s degree in painting and returned to SCAD at the Atlanta campus. I had to work hard and dig deep to reinvent myself and start something completely new. I met many wonderful people and made some great contacts.

I now paint portraits of people and pets for clients all over. Instagram and social media have made it easy to connect with clients. I also do a bit of painting instruction here and there. I also continue my ongoing figurative and landscape painting, selling those works through SCAD Art Sales online or through personal connections.

Of course it has not been easy, and there have been many challenges along the way. The economy forced me to completely reinvent myself, but that stumbling block opened me up to the most fulfilling career of my life. Being an artist takes dedication and hard work and can is solitary work, but teaching keeps me connected with others. I could not have done any of it without the support of my husband, my family, my high school art instructor, interior designers who gave me a chance, friends, mentors, and students.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If they were interested in art, we’d hit the High Museum, SCAD Fash, Whitespace Gallery, Sandler Hudson Gallery, MoCA GA, etc. We’d see as much art as we could cram into the time frame!
The Atlanta area is full of so many beautiful green spaces like Piedmont Park and Stone Mountain, so those would be a must. I also love to drive around the fabulous older neighborhoods in the city and look at houses. We would have to visit the Buford Highway Farmer’s Market and eat at Havana Sandwich Shop or Food Terminal. I have some old faves in Brookhaven/Buckhead like Valenza and Bistro Niko. Bowling at the Painted Pin would definitely be on the list.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to dedicate it to all of the people who helped and encouraged me along the way.

Website: https://www.LADAMSART.com

Instagram: @ladamsart

Image Credits
Tony Bonno (headshot) all others, Lauren Adams