Roger Adamson is the conscience of the global maritime and shipping industry, a former senior maritime executive prepared to rock the boat by holding up a mirror to its many uncomfortable truths.
From his studio overlooking the English Channel his work explores the tension between transformation and timelessness, trade and nature, acknowledging both the intrinsic liminality of seas and rivers, and the threshold where a line between old and new is being drawn.
Documenting today’s marine industry as it undergoes a shift every bit as epochal as that from sail to steam, Adamson’s lines capture and echo the myriad boundaries between old and new confronting seafarers, ships, vessels, wildlife and people around the world, now and through time.
Like the sea, permanent pen and ink is an unforgiving medium that leaves an artist nowhere to hide, demanding discipline, precision and control in order to convey its loose, vital dynamism.
Continually refining his practice Adamson seeks to master the challenge as he chronicles, juxtaposes and distils the emerging needs and the eternal truths of both ocean and unseen industry he loves.
Roger Adamson studied naval architecture and shipping business at Liverpool John Moore’s University and enjoyed a 30-year career in the maritime and shipping industry running multiple companies around the world. An avid collector of maritime art he became a full-time professional artist in 2022 and has since been selected for multiple exhibitions.
Royal Society of Marine Artists - London. Summer 2024
Society of Graphic Fine Art – London. March 2025
VII London Art Biennale. 16th-20th July 2025
From his studio overlooking the English Channel his work captures an environment, industry and people balanced on the brink of epochal change, exploring the tension between transformation and timelessness, trade and nature, and the liminal threshold between old and new. The conscience of the global maritime and shipping industry, he is prepared to rock the boat by holding up a mirror to its many uncomfortable truths.
