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Read more about
art Professor Jim Adams
Triptych
Magnific!
Professor Jim
Adams to unveil
paintings for Science Center
 What do art and science have in common? Let
Manchester College Professor James R.C. Adams show you … in three
different ways! With an unveiling at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26 in
the Physicians Atrium of the Science Center comes
highly-anticipated artwork of the College’s acclaimed art teacher.
For the past 18 months, Adams has been busy
concocting the perfect formula for the paintings to celebrate the $17
million Science Center, dedicated Sept. 16, 2005. The public is invited
to the unveiling.
Adams calls his artwork “semi-abstract” and
“colorful in a dramatic form.” It actually is three interrelated
paintings, each on a 4-foot Masonite square, each depicting a natural
science, each underlined in bold, symbolic colors. Mathematics is an
underlying feature of them all.
Adams’ paintings are perfect for the Science
Center, says James T. Streator, professor emeritus of chemistry.
 “His
understanding of essentials of mathematics and science, his sense of
humor and his love of color show through wonderfully in these paintings.
They serve well to welcome you to the Science Center, where mathematics
and science are both taught and practiced but also where art is
appreciated.”
The
project challenged the artist. “While some passages resemble Jim’s
landscape style, this triptych represents a significant stylistic
departure,”
said music Professor John H. Planer, who teaches a humanities course in
the arts.
Adams
changed his mind several times to find the right formula for the Science
Center. “I normally paint a clear-cut object, such as a landscape,” said
Adams. “This project was different because it was a composite with lots
of characters. Initially, I decided I wanted to paint one big mural, and
then I decided to do something with a few smaller pieces and link them
to each other visually.” He began by designing small drafts to test his
ideas. When he began working on the actual project, he hit road-blocks
and decided to start all over again.
The
painting was agonizing, he said. “Amateur painters do it for relaxation.
I don’t. I can’t relax when I’m painting. On the other hand, when I
complete a painting that I like, then the struggle seems worth it, but
during the procedure, I am not relaxing; I am agonizing. Painting is
like an adventure I had once in Bolivia, if you get through it, it’s a
great experience.”
Artist
Adams, recognized by Congress as the 2002 U.S. Professor of the Year,
knows the natural sciences and admits he
likes reading Scientific American more than Art News.
“I’ve always been interested in how things work,” he explained. “My
favorite classes in school were chemistry and physics. I liked them
because they were not vague; things could be proved or disproved and I
like the way scientists write.”
Adams,
fluent in several languages, currently teaches figure drawing, art and
life, camera techniques, artistic restoration and conservation, and
experiencing the arts. This January Session, he will take his classroom
to Italy. Several other Adams’ paintings hang in the Science Center, as
well as in private collections in England, Spain, Mexico, Germany and
throughout the United States.
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Manchester College
Department of Art
Unveiling of Adams' science tyiptych:
4:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 26
Physicians Atrium
Science Center |
