“Color and shape is the language I use to capture the feeling, mood or impression of my subject matter. I find straddling the edges of realism and abstraction the most exciting and challenging aspect of my art.”

One of nine children, Phyllis Adams was born in Boston, and has lived most of her life in New England. She spent her childhood summers in Westport, Massachusetts, a pristine coastal town that she now calls home.

Although her heart has always been in art, Phyllis’ career took a different path. In addition to being the proud mother of three sons, she worked for over a decade as a computer software manager. Today she paints full-time, creating art that “evokes the natural beauty of coastal New England,” she says. “The ocean, the beaches, and the wildlife are my constant inspiration.”

Her talent and unique perspective have not gone unnoticed. Phyllis has been honored with commissions from esteemed institutions such as Boston Children’s Hospital, Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, RI., and the Yale Women’s Health Center in New Haven, CT. These works stand as a testament to her ability to evoke emotion and create spaces of serenity and healing through her art.

When the weather requires it, you can find Phyllis painting in her studio. In the summer she takes her small Boston Whaler, along with a dog or two, out on the Westport River. “I pull up to a sandbar and set up my easel—taking a dip now and then— combining my two favorite activities, painting and swimming.”