Coni Belleau Adams delivering a completed portrait to a client in Wilmington, North Carolina.

	Coni & Heather Whitestone, Miss America 1995 with Coni's portrait of Heather behind.

Coni Belleau Adams, a native of New York, has spent her lifetime as an artist. Having studied in New York City at The Traphagen School of Fashion Art And Illustration, the School Of Visual Arts, Parsons and the Art Students League. Coni Belleau Adams began her career as a Fashion Illustrator in New York City. Coni's transition into portraiture evolved slowly. Studying with Robert Brackman, NA and Sidney Dickensen, NA just before they retired. Later Coni studied with Daniel Greene, NA at his studio in North Salem, NY and then began to accept portrait commissions.

After meeting several New York artists, who were putting together a group called the Metropolitan Portrait Society, an east coast affiliate of the original
American Portrait Society founded by Robert Fleet Hubbell in Huntington Harbor, California in 1985, Coni was encouraged to join the Board of Directors. This allowed her to organize and participate in many special art gatherings, such as "A Salute To John Singer Sargent" (one of her idols along with Mary Cassatt and Cecelia Beaux). As a member of the Salmagundi Club (the oldest art club in America ) Coni helped arrange artist's demonstrations to be held in their public galleries, where young artists could learn various approaches to painting by recognized portrait artists such as David A. Leffel, Richard Whitney, Robert Bruce Williams and John Howard Sanden. As a Metropolitan Portrait Society Board Member Coni also performed painting demonstrations, usually completing the portrait in one hour. The Grand Central Galleries on West 57th Street in New York City was very supportive of the group, they would later represent Adams. The Grand Central Galleries was founded by John Singer Sargent.

ASOPA Vice Chairman Coni Belleau Adams shown with fellow American Society of Portrait Artist Board members Burton Silverman, Daniel Greene and portrait artist Wende Caporale.

Highly motivated and very competitive Coni developed a fast and furious career traveling around the Country painting strictly from life. Compelling as it was working in this fashion portraiture was changing along with clients lifestyle, demanding busy lives left less time for them to sit for a portrait. It was then that Coni began to incorporate, the camera into her work. Coni's style leans toward Impressionism with a realistic approach to the face, hands and feet. Using a palette, which is light in hue, Coni endeavors to create a painting, which is totally unique with every commission.

Along with membership in the renowned Salmagundi Club came the opportunity to become a member of the Coast Guard Artists Program (COGAP) for the Department of Transportation. This required traveling to coast guard installations around the country in order to paint action scenes of Coast Guard rescue operations. Her paintings hang in government buildings around the country along with others artist's works depicting how essential our Coast Guard is to the defense of the United States.

Former Vice-Chairman Coni Belleau Adams with fellow American Society of Portrait Artists Board members, Michael Del Priore (L.) and Gordon Wetmore (R.); also portrait artist Shari Ford.