ADAM MCCARTHY

ABOUT THE ARTIST​

Adam McCarthy is a professional artist and longtime Art Director in the video game industry, with more than three decades of experience shaping visual worlds in the digital space. While his career has been rooted in pixels and performance, his true passion lives in the tactile process of drawing and painting by hand.

Adam’s work carries a distinctly dark aesthetic, yet his imagery is ultimately rooted in strength and empowerment. He paints primarily women, depicted not as subjects but as forces, celebrating their power, resilience, and unapologetic presence as much as their beauty. Tattooed figures frequently appear in his work, honoring identity, individuality, and lived experience.

Working in both oil paint and charcoal, and often combining the two, Adam creates richly detailed portraits that balance grit with elegance. His current body of work explores cohesive series, allowing themes to evolve and deepen across multiple pieces.

Outside of the studio, Adam was the frontman of a Black Metal band, for which he created all album artwork and directed, edited, and handled visual effects for the band’s music videos. His love of stage performance has continued in his recent work as an actor, further expanding his connection to character, emotion, and presence. That fusion of music, performance, and visual storytelling continues to inform the emotional intensity and cinematic quality of his paintings.

Through every medium, digital or traditional, Adam’s work is grounded in craft, narrative, and a celebration of powerful human presence.