Sarah Adams returns to The Maas Gallery this October for her 10th solo show, continuing her 18-year association with the esteemed St James’s gallery. The exhibition, titled From Darkness Into Light, marks a significant shift in her body of work. While her signature focus on the Cornish coastline remains central, this new collection introduces a …
Sarah Adams at Maas Gallery: From Darkness Into Light
Sarah Adams returns to The Maas Gallery this October for her 10th solo show, continuing her 18-year association with the esteemed St James’s gallery. The exhibition, titled From Darkness Into Light, marks a significant shift in her body of work. While her signature focus on the Cornish coastline remains central, this new collection introduces a lighter mood, inviting viewers into expansive vistas where the bleakness of the cliffs and sea caves gives way to the brilliance of the Cornish light.
Exploring the Intertidal Zone
Adams’ fascination with the Cornish coastline is more than an aesthetic choice; it’s an exploration of contrasts. She describes the intertidal zone as a world of duality—a place where calm meets chaos, where expansive open spaces are intertwined with intimate, intricate details. The geology of Cornwall—with its mineralized seams and fantastical rock formations—is revealed by the constant ebb and flow of the sea. This zone, where land and water collide, forms the perfect backdrop for Adams to depict the power and quiet beauty of nature’s forces.
In her paintings, the geometric nature of the coastline takes center stage, where columns of rock meet distant horizons, and curves flirt with the edges of the canvas. The interaction of light and shadow on the surface of the cliffs—streaked with verdigris, oxides, and algae—creates a kaleidoscopic effect, reflecting the vibrant colors of the natural world: emerald greens, jewel-like oranges, indigo blues, and golden barnacles glowing in the sunshine.
Inviting the Viewer Into the Landscape
The paintings lead the viewer’s eye toward distant headlands, beckoning with the promise of what lies beyond. As Adams explains, “A tiny point of focus leads the eye to a distant headland and the promise of further delights, drawing the viewer into the illusion of space.” These elements—labyrinthine caves, towering stacks, and the surrounding ocean—create a visual narrative of journeying through the landscape, where the viewer is invited to “drink it all in,” experiencing the place as Adams herself did when creating these works.
A Rigorous Working Process
Adams uses a rigorous working process to breathe life into her pieces. “Making observational work on site is so much more than a snapshot,” she says. “It is an experiential process, a record of being in a particular space over a period of time.” In her studio, she reconstructs the experience, blending her drawings with the memories of her time spent in the landscape. The result is a deeply personal expression of the sense of place that defines her work, inviting the viewer to connect with the landscape in an intimate, almost tactile way.
A Moment in the Sea Cave
Rupert Maas, the gallery owner, eloquently describes the essence of Adams’ work:
“Inside a Cornish sea cave, there’s no safety; you’re on borrowed time from the tide, exploring a secret world that belongs rightfully to the ocean. You wait for your eyes to adjust to give colour and contour to the black masses of wet rock, edged by glittering light. And wonder—until a chill shiver sends you blinking back out into the sun and air, a moment caught in Sarah Adams’s extraordinary paintings, which seem to come from the ancient rock itself.”
Exhibition Details
From Darkness Into Light will feature both large oil paintings on linen and smaller oil studies on board, all of which will be available for sale. This exhibition offers an exceptional opportunity to engage with Adams’ latest works, which reflect her evolving approach to the beauty and grandeur of the Cornish coast.
- Exhibition Dates: 8th–24th October 2025
- Private View: 7th October
- Location: The Maas Gallery, 6 Duke Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 6BN
- Contact: +44 (0) 20 7930 9511 | mail@maasgallery.com | maasgallery.co.uk
Sarah Adams’ latest exhibition offers a breathtaking visual journey through the natural world of Cornwall, exploring its geological wonders and the powerful relationship between land and sea. Don’t miss this chance to experience the artist’s evolving vision and the luminous beauty of the Cornish coastline through her masterful paintings.
