Adams Puryear

Thats Why I’m Wiser

A Reality of Obvious Falsehoods, Accepted As Real Because There Is Nothing Else. 2025. ceramic, glaze, laser etched imagery, charred wood.
30” x 21” x 2.5” $1200 — A Reality of Obvious Falsehoods, Accepted As Real Because There Is Nothing Else. 2025. ceramic, glaze, laser etched imagery, charred wood. 30” x 21” x 2.5” $1200

The Machine Swallows Life and Spits out Convenience. 2025. ceramic, glaze, laser etched imagery, charred wood.
38” x 23” x 2” $1200
The charred wood reflects some of the chaotic times we are facing. In one way directly like wild fires, in another way — The Machine Swallows Life and Spits out Convenience. 2025. ceramic, glaze, laser etched imagery, charred wood. 38” x 23” x 2” $1200 The charred wood reflects some of the chaotic times we are facing. In one way directly like wild fires, in another way indirectly reflecting the social, political and physical violence of our times. The mandala-like spiral of death objects is meant to be comforting as well as off putting.

Not a Walking Away From, but a Walking Away Towards II, 2025. ceramic, glaze, laser etched imagery, charred wood. 37” x 21” x 1.5” $1200
The imagery of the serpent eating its tail goes back thousands of years to many different areas of the world. Its — Not a Walking Away From, but a Walking Away Towards II, 2025. ceramic, glaze, laser etched imagery, charred wood. 37” x 21” x 1.5” $1200 The imagery of the serpent eating its tail goes back thousands of years to many different areas of the world. Its primarily thought of a doom like symbol but it is actually one for balance of life. Life-Death, Chaos-Harmony, Lightness-Darkness and just some examples. Too Much Future refers to all that we as humanity are facing now in the USA and the world.

Smart Phones, 2024-2025. ceramic, glaze, laser etched imagery. average dimensions with stands 8” x 4.5” x 3.5” $300 Each
I(Adams) found myself looking at the endless scroll of videos on social media and noticed that many are videos of people taking v — Smart Phones, 2024-2025. ceramic, glaze, laser etched imagery. average dimensions with stands 8” x 4.5” x 3.5” $300 Each I(Adams) found myself looking at the endless scroll of videos on social media and noticed that many are videos of people taking videos. Pattern Icons and symbols help to set a mood or idea in feel.

Through that Prism, It’s Hard not to Recognize, 2025. ceramic, glaze, laser etched imagery. 59.5” x 27” x 2” $1400
When we look back at this time in the future, we will notice things that were obvious that we may, right now, not being willing to rec — Through that Prism, It’s Hard not to Recognize, 2025. ceramic, glaze, laser etched imagery. 59.5” x 27” x 2” $1400 When we look back at this time in the future, we will notice things that were obvious that we may, right now, not being willing to recognize or come to terms with. Looking through a Prism is similar to looking at something and having a diﬀerent perspective

Formless Disorder and Balance of Life 2024. ceramic, glaze, laser etched imagery, charred wood, welded steel. 17.5” x 15” x 1.5” $700
The imagery of the serpent eating its tail goes back thousands of years to many diﬀerent areas of the world. Its — Formless Disorder and Balance of Life 2024. ceramic, glaze, laser etched imagery, charred wood, welded steel. 17.5” x 15” x 1.5” $700 The imagery of the serpent eating its tail goes back thousands of years to many diﬀerent areas of the world. Its primarily thought of a doom like symbol but it is actually one for balance of life. Life-Death, Chaos-Harmony, Lightness-Darkness and just some examples. The silver reﬂective glaze allows the viewer to be placed inside the serpent upon the correct angle of viewing.

Not a Walking Away From, but a Walking Away Towards I. ceramic, glaze, laser etched imagery, charred wood. 32” x 21” x 1.5” $1200
The imagery of the serpent eating its tail goes back thousands of years to many diﬀerent areas of the world. Its prima — Not a Walking Away From, but a Walking Away Towards I. ceramic, glaze, laser etched imagery, charred wood. 32” x 21” x 1.5” $1200 The imagery of the serpent eating its tail goes back thousands of years to many diﬀerent areas of the world. Its primarily thought of a doom-like symbol but it is actually one for balance of life. Life-Death, Chaos-Harmony, Lightness-Darkness and just some examples. The idea of molotov cocktail provokes ideas of unlawful destruction, but perhaps it is change that is needed and oﬀers hope rather than doom.

People Often Derive Happiness and Satisfaction Through the Use of Tools, 2024. ceramic, glaze, laser etched imagery. 32” x 31” x 2” $1200 Drones

That’s why Im wiser. That extra year of learning more nothing (4 smartphone tiles), 2024. ceramic, glaze, laser etched imagery. 7” x 3.5” x .25” $300 each

Adams Puryear (b. 1981) is an artist whose work merges craft traditions with unexpected modes of sculpture and installation. By approaching 3D art from different perspectives and using a variety of materials and techniques, he presents visions of today and tomorrows’ Internet dependent culture of convenience. Adams Puryear holds an MFA from Indiana University and a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art. Puryear's work has been featured in and around the Kansas City area in solo and group exhibitions, nationally in galleries and museums such as the the Ace Hotel Gallery in NYC and the Kennedy Museum in Athens, OH, and internationally at galleries such as Galerie Christine Mayer, Munich, GR, and museums like Icheon World Ceramic Center in South Korea. He currently lives and works in Kansas City, MO.

Andy Warhol quips, “That’s why I’m wiser, That extra year of learning more nothing” in a passage of his “Philosophy of…”.

In it, Andy declares how he is positively smarter by not learning anything new. Quoted in the 1970s, an up-to-date interpretation by me is gaining wisdom by avoiding the daily tsunami of distracting and empty information on screens.

My current body of work titled “Thats Why Im Wiser” processes the imagery from endless scrolling to reflect the problems that will not be going away. Imagery of recent unsettling technologies like AI guard dogs, satellites that litter the sky in tight rows and selectively give or deprive service, data collection from internet sites, anxiety about losing or breaking smartphones, and the facade that everything is fine are found in much of the displayed work with the goal to translate specific events into a feeling or impression of the work. In my practice I borrow core strategies from the punk music I grew up with. The technical aspects of bands like the Ramones or Stooges are minimal and straightforward: a few simple guitar chords and unadorned drum patterns. But what is evoked in the feeling and attitude gives the music its lasting effect. Can anyone really do better than Iggy Pop, high on acid, smearing peanut butter and glitter on himself during a song in front of thousands of people? Within my artwork I try to reflect this attitude and style of Iggy and the other punks by reducing my work to the elemental which allows me greater focus for the energy I wish to evoke. Currently the objective of my research is investigating the intersection of utopian and dystopian notions of our society and visually processing these with interdisciplinary mediums. I accomplish this by merging craft traditions with fragmented physical elements thru unexpected modes of sculpture and installation. With an interdisciplinary approach from experimental perspectives using a variety of materials and techniques, I present visions of today and tomorrows’ culture of convenience. - Adams Puryear

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