Adriena was born in Prague and lived in Czechoslovakia until the Russian invasion in 1968. She and her father emigrated to the United States, leaving all her friends and the rest of her family behind. They settled in Long Beach, New York. Adriena became a citizen, married and had three children. Now that the children are grown and have their own families, she can finally go back to her painting.
Her work is mostly landscapes, flowers and still-life paintings, and sometimes animal portraits. Oil is her favorite medium. Many of her paintings are started outside (plein air) but usually are finished in her studio. Most are seascapes from Long Island’s shores. She loves to paint landscapes in her favorite part of the Catskills. During the winter, most of her paintings are flowers, and if she can escape to her house in the Catskills, she always comes home with a couple of paintings of winter scenery.
Adriena traveled to Tuscany and spend ten days painting with Stefan Baumann at his Plein Air Workshop. After the workshop she continues to work with and learn from him.