For many years Adamson has explored themes of people interacting in public places, wine bars, clubs and discos or, in The Angel, Islington, commuters on London's Underground. He makes constant sketches from life and stores these away until they suggest a composition, which he works up in his highly painterly style. Of his style he writes: "Rather than beginning with a line and then applying colour, which gives the colour secondary importance, I now start with colour to create the form, keeping some sort of balance across the canvas."

Crawfurd Adamson, born 1953

Born in Edinburgh, Adamson studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design but has lived much of his life in the South of England. He came to prominence as a figurative painter in the 1980s and 1990s. Describing Degas as one of his biggest influences, he depicts his subjects beginning with position and gesture, and using strong light to create abstract effects. He has described the subject of his work as the human condition, the isolation of the individual in a crowd. His work in pastels has been recognised with awards from the Pastel Society UK.