Adams was born in England in 1962, and grew up in Berkshire before moving to the Channel Isles in 1974. Her connection with Cornwall began in 1980, when she enrolled in the Foundation Course at Falmouth School of Art. She went on to study at Cheltenham and the Royal College of Art, and has lived and painted in London, South India and Jersey.  Landscapes have been central to Adams's work for more than twenty years. After moving back to Cornwall in 2005 her focus shifted to the cliffs and rock formations of the north coast.