User:Adam Scott Rote

Adam Scott Rote is a contemporary artist specializing in Hyper-Realist paintings. He is the co-founder of Adam Rote Studios, LLC. and currently resides in Florida, USA. His work is internationally acclaimed and has been exhibited regularly in galleries across the USA and Europe.

Biography
Adam Scott Rote is an award-winning painter whose work throughout the last decade has been influenced by architecture, fashion and classic cinema. Adam is a self-taught artist who studied early iconic artists including pinup legends Vargas & McGinnis as well as master realist painter Charles Bell and Hyper-realist painter Hajime Sorayama, who set the stage for the elegant and breath-taking style  of his paintings. By utilizing acrylic paint, gouache, airbrush and watercolor pencils in unison with a brilliant emphasis on high contrast, Adam brings to life images of the past with an ultramodern feel. His dynamic subjects and signature transparent technique have earned him a loyal following of collectors including Award winning actors and singers. Adam’s paintings have also been featured in books, magazines, movies, and television. In 2011 Rote teamed up with iconic Hollywood silver screen legends for exclusive co-signed limited edition prints  featuring his famous "Drive-In Daze" paintings.

Style
Photorealism, a full-fledged art movement, evolved from Pop Art and as a counter to abstract Expressionism as well as Minimalist art movements in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. A photorealist uses a photograph or several photographs to gather the information to create their paintings and it can be argued that the use of a camera and photographs is an acceptance of Modernism, however, the admittance to the use of photographs in Photorealism was met with intense criticism when the movement began to gain momentum in the late 1960s despite the fact that visual devices had been used since the fifteenth century to aid artists with their work. Hyperrealism, although photographic in essence, often entails a softer, much more complex focus on the subject depicted, presenting it as a living, tangible object. These objects and scenes in Hyperrealism paintings and sculptures are meticulously detailed to create the illusion of a reality not seen in the original photo. That is not to say they're surreal, as the illusion is a convincing depiction of (simulated) reality. Textures, surfaces, lighting effects, and shadows appear clearer and more distinct than the reference photo or even the actual subject itself.

Technique
Rote’s paintings are rendered with not just one medium but several, he works in gradual buildups with transparent overlays. He starts with his sketch on paper perfecting the layout then transferring the drawing like the old masters by charcoaling the back of the paper and taping it in place on the canvas. Fixed in place he carefully retraces his drawing, once done, this allows minimal pencil and sketch lines to interfere with the canvas. Removing the paper outline he begins with black acrylic paint specifically formulated for the airbrush and slowly flesh out the image, he alternates with watercolor pencils for sharpness until he achieves the first preliminary stage. He then begins with erasing at this point to create distinct depth in the work going back and forth with airbrush watercolor pencil and erasure. This process is lengthy and depending on the image can take several days. He will usually mask off at this point the entire figure and proceed to the background, unless the figure involves transparency, then the background would have been completed first. He will then undo the masking and complete the figure beginning to build color while still erasing to define highlights. He will only now use white paint to help blend the masked edges to give the painting a balanced look. Traditional brushwork is also applied during his painting along with techniques that he studied from a gentleman named Leonard Pardon about faux painting.

Influences
Charles Bell {1935-1995} was one of Rote’s greatest influences in the paintings he has finally achieved today. Known as a photorealist with subject matter primarily of vintage toys, pinball machines and action figures, Rote fell in love with the glass like effects that caused you to challenge the believability that it was not a photo. He worked in large scale panels significantly in oil, his paintings are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Guggenhiem.

Hajime Sorayama { 1947- Present}, is an incredible realist and surrealist illustrator. His groundbreaking “Robot Sexy” Pin-up work pushed boundaries in the 1970’s with his female robotic series appearing to be fashioned from molten silver. Rote was in awe of his technique and thrilled later when a book was released showing step by step techniques to achieve the realism on his illustrations. Sorayama was one of the pivotal influences in how he paints. Instead of adding more paint to a canvas Sorayama actually erases back to the original canvas, everything is built up slowly in transparent layers then erased back to achieve the highlight from the white of the canvas as much as possible, a time consuming process but incredibly stunning once achieved. Studying his books Rote felt like the curtain was finally pulled back from Oz and he watched his abilities as an artist grow to new heights.

Alberto Vargas {1896-1982}, is considered one of THE most famous artists of pin-up. His works are a combination of watercolor and airbrush, his girls were featured in Esquire magazine and Playboy. Rote was hired in 1992 by a client to recreate several paintings of Vargas, armed with his new techniques from Sorayama he set out on the task and in doing so garnered a whole new set of skills while recreating this masters work.

Critical and Public Response
“I Love your paintings. They are truly amazing.”

“This is a painting? You @%$# me…astounding!”

“You are my Warhol”

“Incredible Paintings, Refreshing.”

“Your work is so diversified. What a talent!”

“Adam Rote knows how to paint a real lion!”

“The artist’s multi-dimensional paintings allow us to become a participant in places the rest of the world has forgotten. We witness the abandonment of life that once resonated within these structures and ponder his choice of figures and objects. The detail work is mesmerizing. For some the vintage color palette and subject matter cannot help but trigger bittersweet memories. Still in the end he has created a window for us: finding the beauty in the decay, Adam has captured the feeling of standing still while watching the light fall on to the past.”

Adam Rote Studios, LLC.
Adam Rote Studios, LLC. was established in 2002 in Dania Beach, Florida by Adam Scott Rote and John Joseph Howard. The company publishes, exhibits, promotes and popularizes the works of Adam Scott Rote.

Adam Rote Studios, LLC. offers original acrylic on canvas paintings by Adam Scott Rote, as well as limited edition prints on canvas, aluminum and paper.

Publications

 * Dreamscape 2009 Publisher: Imaginary Editions ISBN 9789490668020
 * Dreamscapes 2010 Publisher: Imaginary Editions  ISBN 9789490668020
 * Imaginaire III: Contemporary Magic Realism 2010  Publisher: Fantasmus-Art Aps ISBN 8799214784

Press Releases

 * 2013, March, “Movie starts Reynolds, Dickinson, Hedren help open gallery.” – Key west Citizen
 * 2013, March, “Burt Reynolds Attends Adam Scott Rote Galleries Grand Opening'' – Donna Carbone, Examiner.com