Steve Adamson is a self-taught landscape artist who currently makes his home, along with his wife Darleen, on a sandstone outcropping above Cambria Canyon Creek, just North of Newcastle, WY.
Born in Coffeyville, where the infamous Dalton gang met their demise, Steve grew up in a rural farm/agricultural setting in SE Kansas. He later graduated high school at Chadron, NE in 1975 and after serving in the US Navy and working for the Burlington Northern Railroad, Steve completed a four year bachelor’s program at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, MO in 1988.
Although he was fond of pencil drawing in adolescent and teen years, he never had an opportunity to receive any formal training in art. However, while living in Cody, WY in 1992 Steve’s desire to try his hand at painting resulted in selling an antique saddle and spending the proceeds on what a local art supply store told him he would need to get started.
It didn’t take long for Steve to realize that desire alone wasn’t enabling him to achieve his goals so he began to closely study the works of other artists and ask questions of them when the opportunity presented itself. To this day he believes the advice that has been the most beneficial came from long-time friend and fellow artist, Tom Waugh from up near Hulett, WY. Waugh told him, “Paint what you see. All the information you need is right in front of you.”
While Steve has painted a variety of subjects and tried differing styles over the years, he has developed his own style with which he is most comfortable in painting the landscape on location (en plein air). While he may occasionally embellish a piece with tipis or other elements of his imagination, Steve is committed to sharing with others his passion for the beauty of the Black Hills and surrounding plains just as he sees them.