YOUNGSTOWN — Local artist Adam Myers was born into art.

His father, Phil Myers, is a highly acclaimed artist in the Sharon, Pa., area and his mother, Karen Myers, was a musician who played piano in numerous local churches and taught lessons. His extended family also were artists. Even though the art gene was dominant in Myers’ family, he discovered his own unique trajectory in the world of art through being a mixed media artist.

“I am lucky to come from a creative family. When I was a kid, my siblings and I were always free to go into my father’s studio. He was super creative and free thinking. He always encouraged my siblings and I to be creative. He just celebrated his 79th birthday on Jan. 23,” Myers said. “My father was an avid reader and a comic book fan, and he would always pick us up comic books. Comic books inspired me to draw, and they are a huge influence on my art. I also always loved the darker palette of the well-known Latvian-born artist, Mark Rothko (born Markus Yakovlevich). I am also inspired by the German visual artist, Gerhard Richter, who mixes the idea of photography with painting.”

Myers, a 1986 graduate of Hermitage High School in Hermitage, Pa., started painting and drawing, but then discovered photography in high school, especially alternative photographic processes such as Vandykes and Cyanotypes. However, it was discovering these kinds of alternative photographic processes that inspired Myers to become a mixed media artist.

“There were also elements in my art with collage, ink transfer, as well as the traditional mediums of ink, charcoal and paints. I like certain elements of photography, but I also like to get messy with materials and see the hands of the artist in the materials as well. My art is figurative and not narrative. The story in my art, if one exists, is for the audience to interpret.

I leave interpretations open for the audience. My paintings function like a single panel from a comic book that never existed. I also do a lot of computer-based illustrations, story illustrations and book cover designs,” Myers said.

He grew up in Hermitage and received his Bachelor of Arts from Edinboro State College in Edinboro, Pa. Myers said right after college, he moved to San Francisco, where he lived from 1991 to 2008. While in San Francisco, Myers managed and was the curator of a few galleries.

“I curated at a gallery called Klub Komotion and for many years I curated at a gallery called The Crucible Steel Gallery at CELLspace, which was a large community arts center. I curated there for 10 years, and we showcased a lot of local art from San Francisco’s emerging artists. Also, while living in San Francisco, I was the director of operations at The Center for Electronic Art, which was an innovative computer art school,” Myers said.

San Francisco unleashed a huge treasure trove of artistic opportunities for Myers. Myers co-founded The Expo for The Artist SF. He said that basically this was a summer arts program designed to bring individual artists and musicians together.

“For the month leading up to The Expo for The Artist SF, we would host workshops, panel discussions and speakers at various venues across San Francisco. It would end with a day long event featuring networking opportunities, classes and live entertainment,” Myers said.

He then received his Master of Fine Arts from The San Francisco Art Institute and then from there he moved to Germany where he split his time between the cities of Berlin and Magdeburg.

“While in Germany, I showed at various galleries, and I worked closely with GOLA (Gallery of Living Art). After I lived in Germany, I moved to Seoul, South Korea, where I did some teaching, and I did several shows at the IAC (International Artist Community). I also did guest speaking about my art at Hongik University (a private university in Seoul), Seoul University and Sungshin University,” Myers said.

While he was living in Seoul, Myers said he got the chance to spend time in Thailand and Japan. He also displayed his work at the annual DMZ Art Festival, which Myers said is a festival put on for the soldiers, but also was open to the public.

“The annual DMZ Art Festival had live entertainment and it was right up on the border of South and North Korea,” Myers said.

Myers moved to Youngstown in 2014 where he showed at various galleries in Youngstown and the Sharon areas.

“I discovered the SOAP Gallery and I have done many shows at that gallery. It was a fantastic place and I think it was a tragedy and a shame for the Youngstown community when it closed,” Myers said.

Myers is the art director for the art and literature magazine publishing house, The Fabulist.

“The Fabulist is based out of San Francisco. We do online and in print. We publish individual stories in chapbook form. The Fabulist hosts literary events around the San Franciso Bay Area. Over the years, I have done gallery management, freelance artwork, and design. I also have done theater set design. I always try to make art a part of my everyday life,” Myers said.

To suggest a Saturday profile, contact Metro Editor Marly Reichert at mreichert@tribtoday.com or Features Editor Ashley Fox at afox@tribtoday.com.