A Renaissance of His Own

Adrian Litman had enough.

The former graphic designer, 63, loathed the idea of going to work. He detested meetings and annual reports. So in 2003, the Tri-City man quit his job, left his desk at Visa – and a hefty salary – to become a starving artist.

He incorporates ceramics, wood, stained glass and various metals in his work. Since he began creating art full time, Litman has been commissioned by various groups. Most recently, he created a 12-foot by 3-foot metal sculpture on top of a bus shelter for the City of Milpitas.

Litman works from a studio in Newark.

The studio – which was his first home – provides two stories of personal work space. The living room has a giant work bench where several brushes are just a reach away, paint cans rest on the floor, and once in a while a cat dashes between Litman’s colorful sculptors or handmade mosaic tiles.

Born in Romania to a sculptor and nurse, Litman was raised among his father’s artist friends.

“I was lucky that I grew up in a family of artists. My dad had a degree in fine art,” he said.

His father was responsible for various art restoration projects when Litman’s curiosity about art was still new. He watched and mimicked his father’s friends as they brought new life to deteriorating churches and run-down embassies in Bucharest.

Litman attended a high school for fine arts and then studied graphic design at a university. He calls his education “old-fashioned” — he learned an array of techniques, including drawing, oil painting, acrylic, glass, textiles and engraving.

As his skills grew, his passion for art grew even more. With his new degree, Litman sought to embark on a life of mural painting and church restoration.

His father said it was a terrible idea.

He blessed his son’s wishes to become an artist, but he wanted Litman’s creativity to manifest itself from a desk rather than a scaffold .

This civilized direction took Litman to Silicon Valley, where he easily found a job as a graphic designer. Though he says he was proud his early work, there wasn’t room for creativity. He felt suffocated.

“I was going nowhere. I had a hard time getting up in the morning and going to work. I had no energy,” Litman said. “The minute I got out of there, every stupid thing I made, people said it’s wonderful.”

The creativity that was limited in his day job vanished. He produced dozens of handmade mugs, vibrant and detailed mosaic plates, abstract paintings. 

His work turned heads when a friend allowed Litman to showcase his work at a private party. Not only did some guests buy his work, the same people introduced him to others wanting to fill their homes with new art. 

Litman's proudest moment came when Stanford University commissioned him to design artwork for the lobbies of its law school. The one-year project consisted of one fresco, six sculptures and six large paintings.

His work is regularly showcased and sold at the Roasted Bean in Cupertino and at Wildwood Farm Nursery and Sculpture Farm in Sonoma County.

But according to Litman, his success has come mainly from face-to-face contact with potential buyers.

He says he doesn’t regret leaving his day job or selling his big European sedan.

His only mistake, he says, was not leaving his job soon enough.

“It’s the lifestyle, the people I meet, the connections I have,” Litman  about the perks of his new gig. 

He shakes his head, “I know a lot of people with a lot of money and no friends. They have money, but they don’t have places to go.”

Litman says he has a lot of repeat buyers and that his commissions are steady. He earns less than he expected to, but he would never take back his decision to leave the corporate world.

“As long as I can produce art and other people are happy with it, I’m happy. I don’t need anything else,” he said.