PROFILE

Adam Koltz is an artist whose earliest memories include drawing ships and birds. He knew at an early age that he was blessed with a unique artistic ability. “I remember receiving a lot of attention in the third grade when I won 1^st place in all categories of a school art contest.” Later during college and a 20-year Navy career, Adam fostered his art interests as a hobby and focused on the sea and ships. His first real encounter with boats was sailing a 40-foot sloop on Lake Michigan in his early teens. About half of his Navy career was spent on sea duty aboard several classes of ships, including destroyers, frigates, amphibious ships and merchant vessels.

He is an avid sailor and marine historian. Adam’s attention to detail stems from his intimate knowledge of the subject, including the purpose of every line, sail and spar in his pictures. The wind-water relationships in his work show his appreciation for those elements and give his pictures life and vitality. Each work is researched in detail to highlight a historical relationship between the ship and the geographic context within which it is placed. Adam is well known in Navy circles on both coasts for his depictions of naval vessels, which highlight many, a commanding officer’s or crewmember’s collection of mementos.

In the years following his Navy career, Adam has developed his expertise in watercolor, and combines that with pen and ink to achieve a high level of detail in his drawings. He often matches within a single frame a watercolor portrait of a ship with an antique chart that depicts an important geographical aspect of the ship’s history.

Adam participates annually in the Festival of the Arts in La Jolla, CA and the Tallships Festival in Dana Point, CA, as well as in other shows in southern California. He is a member of the American Society of Marine Artists, San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild, the San Diego Art Institute, the San Diego Watercolor Society, the Maritime Museum of San Diego, the South Georgia Association and the National Maritime Historical Society.

Adam is currently working on a series of watercolors commemorating the 1914-1916 Antarctic Expedition of Sir Ernest Shackleton aboard Endurance. Much of the inspiration and reference for these works comes from his recent visit to Antarctica, South Georgia and Elephant Island.