Adams was born in
Muncie, Indiana, the son of a livestock breeder. His artistic leanings were notably encouraged by his father who, being an amateur artist himself, enrolled Adams in
Herron School of Art in
Indianapolis. Thereafter, he continued his studies under the guidance of painter
William Merritt Chase in Italy (1910) and
Robert Henri in Spain (1912). In Italy, he met artist Margaret Graham Burroughs, and they married in 1918. On returning to the United States from his European studies, Adams opened a studio in Indianapolis, Indiana. He subsequently lived and worked in
New York and
California. Adams and his wife ran a summer art school in Elizabethtown, New York, from 1933 to 1945. Among Adams's pupils were
Sister Mary Rufinia and
Lucy Wilson Rice. He died in
Austin, Texas at the age of 76. ==Art==