Like many artists who work with alternative materials and on large scales, drawings and studies play a large role in the conception of Adair's projects. While his studies of The Golden Doors to Infinity are not "designs" in a formal sense, they do function as concept designs for the intended location and feeling each installation is meant to evoke, and which also trace the inspiration for each door.
 

Adair has made countless drawings and studies, too many ever to catalogue. They are a daily ritual, made in the morning over a double espresso, sometimes over the course of days or weeks. Below are just a few examples.

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The drawings are often exhibited alongside the doors once the doors are "retired."