Michael Adams was born in Malaysia in 1937. From the age of nine he was educated in England, and later attended Falmouth College of Art. He went on to study painting and engraving at the Royal College of Art in London. In his final year in 1961 he was chosen to go to Makerere University, Uganda to start the graphic department there. From 1965 he worked as a freelance artist, painting mostly in East Africa and holding many successful exhibitions there.
In 1972 he met Heather Denselow, a British teacher in Kenya.
They came to Seychelles later that year and were married, moving to the jungle at Anse Aux Poules Bleues – meaning ‘Bay of the Blue Chickens’. Michael and Heather Adams planted a botanical garden across three acres that all the family have drawn inspiration from in their own work. Together they opened a gallery in their house, the first in Seychelles. Mahé has come to be known as an Artist’s Island and is now home to a vibrant artistic community of which Michael Adams is a leading figure.
Michael Adams has held exhibitions all over the world. His paintings have been commissioned by numerous hotels, and he creates a variety of designs for book covers, calendars, textiles and more. In 2001 he was awarded an MBE for his services to art in Seychelles by Queen Elizabeth II. Since 2020 Michael Adams has been working on series of portraits, and he continues to live and work in Seychelles with his family.
