PORTLAND, Maine — It's been a busy summer for Portland artist Ryan Adams. In addition to a variety of projects, including two young daughters, his first solo show, at Notch8, opens Oct. 7.
His murals have received acclaim in recent years throughout Portland and elsewhere in Maine, and Adams is "super psyched" about it.
With a background in graffiti, Adams is known for his unique "gem" style of geometric letters with shadows and highlights.
Then, in late summer, Adams was one of three muralists selected to paint a corrugated container for Google.
"They reached out, and I didn't even know it was for Google at first," he said. "They had to be somewhat elusive [and said], 'Oh, the client.' We got a few weeks in and then, oh my gosh."
He and wife Rachel Gloria Adams, also an artist, flew to Washington, D.C. to paint the container.
They had three days.
"They gave me a color palette, and I created a gem-style piece with the Google 'G' right in the middle of it," he said. "Mine can translate with Google translate. I designed a bunch of custom lettering that says 'music' in different languages. You hold your phone up and it will translate the word into English in real time."
Inside the containers, which are in Washington, D.C., and will travel to Las Vegas eventually, Google has created "immersive experiences" with the Google Pixel phone, Adams said.
"It's definitely surreal," he said. "I'm just feeling grateful."
But he hasn't had time to reflect on the experience.
"I'm such a worker bee. I got back from that job and, obviously, see the kids," he said. "Then the next day I need to be back in the studio finishing up pieces for the new show."