The lithograph is printed on handmade deckle-edged paper and presented with a museum style floating mount in a black wood frame with a thick cream mat and glazed with UV protected plexiglass. It is signed in pencil in the right lower corner along with the date, '96. The title "Neptune Washington" is inscribed in pencil in the lower margin in the center and initials HGI are in the lower left. The initials HGI may stand for Hand Graphics Institute, which Adams founded in New Mexico. The initials rather than the usual edition number (which consisted of 70), possibly signify an artist proof or possibly a Hors-Commerce (before trade) printing. The print is in excellent condition. The frame measures 38" x 30.25" x 1.25".
Ron Adams is a prominent African-American master printmaker. His detailed depictions of African-American musicians, craftsmen, folk heroes and everyday people have made him one of the top figurative artists and printmakers in the country. He has worked with and taught many other well-known artists, including Frank Stella, Charles White, John Biggers, Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Jones. Adams’ work is held by many museums, including: The National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC, The Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, The Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe, The Bronx Museum, Bronx, New York, and The Museum of Art, University of Arizona, Tucson.