John Ottis Adams, A Bit of the Whitewater, c. 1913, oil on canvas, donor: Edward W. Adams
Painted late in his life, A Bit of the Whitewater is indicative of much of the landscape work that Adams created. First shown in 1913, the painting depicts a rushing river near his studio at the Hermitage in Brookeville, Indiana. Adams sought to capture the wilds of Indiana, the American West.
In 1915, Adams was honored by being asked to show this painting at the Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. In a life filled with accomplishments and recognition, this honor is one of the highest. A Bit of the Whitewater was the only painting of his asked to be shown at the exposition,
This landscape traveled back across the country to Indiana, where it would stay until Adam’s death twelve years later in 1927. Adams was honored that fall with a memorial exhibition at the John Herron Art Institute, which Adam’s helped found in 1902. A Bit of the Whitewater was one of over 140 of his paintings that were shown, celebrating the life of one of Indiana’s greatest artists.
Click the links below for more information about this painting and artist:
- Adams and Wilderness Landscapes of Indiana
- The Panama Pacific Exposition
- 1927 Memorial Exhibition for John Ottis Adams
Tom Blaich