American, b. 1986

Adam Umbach was born in Chicago, and currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. After being inspired from an early age by the modern masters collection at the Art Institute of Chicago, he received his BFA in painting from the University of Wisconsin. Beginning his painting career with minimalist canvases based on the enigmatic names of color swatches, Umbach’s creative approach has expanded to experiments with abstraction, geometric painting, and expressionism. The evolution of Umbach’s painting is markedly influenced by his surroundings, from the maritime imagery and seaside colors from his time living in East Hampton, New York and Islesboro, Maine to the graphic style of New York City’s architecture and graffiti. Umbach’s work pairs formalist explorations with photorealistic depictions of recognizable objects, including boats, toys such as rubber ducks and teddy bears, and pink flamingo lawn ornaments. A biographical painter, Umbach’s chosen subjects, which often repeat through differing bodies of work, belong to a personal and familial iconography. Though sourced from his life, Umbach’s paintings invite viewers to connect with this imagery by evoking their own experiences and memories.

Artist Statement:
My paintings explore a collective nostalgia for childhood memories by juxtaposing detailed photorealistic representations of everyday objects that represent deep personal ties to memory with expressionistic mark making. Using my non-dominant hand to create the thickly rendered lines and forms, I build on the sense of play by drawing with the uncertainty and freedom of a child. This formal tension mirrors the balance between my playful, often humorous choice of subjects with the weight of the memories they symbolize—a sense of loneliness pervading a single teddy bear, toy, or boat combined with the comfort and hope that it brings.