By Ann-Maureen Owens
with photography by Bernard Clark
Suspended from the 24-foot-high ceiling in Tristan Adams’ home is one of his sculptures — Chrystalis — an arresting 10-foot upside-down version of a hanging man that symbolizes rebirth, fabricated in copper, fibreglass and the lightning rod from an old church. He created it over 20 years ago as part of a series, and this one was returned to Tristan by the deceased collector’s estate. The house where it hangs is also one of Tristan’s creations — an off-grid, solar-powered, well-designed four-bedroom family home that is both functional and strikingly modern.
Tristan Adams has made a life for himself and his family through a dedication to art, design, construction and restoration that evolved organically through talent and hard work. Born and raised in Kingston, Tristan’s path followed a series of unofficial apprenticeships, rather than institutional education. “School never really worked for me,” he says, “and that pushed me to the arts.” Tristan attended various Kingston elementary and secondary schools and warmly remembers teacher Sue Bartley for helping him achieve most of his high school credits in the Material Arts focus program at QECVI.
He is also grateful for the influence of his close family and some key friendships along the way for the work ethic they instilled in him that led to the success of the businesses he was eventually able to establish: Tristan Adams & Associates, formerly on Cataraqui Street . . .
