100 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {home & design} ART IST soulful portraits words by JENNIFER JORY ABOVE: Ruminations Poised in front of a canvas, Dustin Adamson guides his brush, illuminating light and shadows as he brings a portrait to life. With purposeful strokes and a calm voice, he demonstrates the time-honored tradition of portraiture painting to aspiring students. In a fast-paced digital world, Dustin speaks a language through his art with an important message. “My paintings force people to slow down,” he confides. “Growing up in Silicon Valley, everything had a number attached to it. The imperfections of life are what make us people, not just efficiency.” From an early age, Dustin cultivated a love of working with his hands while helping his father on construction sites installing flooring. “I like making things and creating something that wasn’t there before,” he explains. “That’s why I like painting—there is something magic about it.” A Peninsula native, Dustin’s primary early creative influences were Pixar movies, video games and an invaluable art teacher at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo who encouraged him to pursue his talent. Today, his visual style has come full circle and is grounded in artistic classical training with an emphasis on the techniques of the Old Masters from the Renaissance. This wasn’t the path Dustin had originally roadmapped for his life. Following his passion for concept PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: DUSTIN ADAMSON
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