was born in Brooklyn, New York 1954 and from an early age experienced firsthand how life can be riddled with unexpected, challenging and inspiring moments. Growing up through the foster care system, James spent time in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Jersey City, finally landing at the Jersey Shore for a more extended period, through his teens. Graduating from high school and hopping on a plane to Miami the following day, James was quick to begin forging his own path, without support, without a plan and without the structure many have when stepping into their own adulthood.

“I was ten seeing the modern art exhibit at the Flushing, New York World’s Fair, standing in front of two huge canvasses, one black, one white, and I thought… I can do better than that.”

Without traditional childhood relationships, other than his sibling Gary whom he was paired up with throughout foster care, James realized his extreme and risky life journey, likely will be a short one. Ever the scrapper, James chose to adjust and invest in himself, viewing his tough upbringing as a positive experience, in its negativity, and intentionally redirecting himself from a life originally destined for catastrophe. While in Miami, James began to explore what independence, community and art means to a person who does not have a preconceived notion of what these ideas should be. During his participation in drawing classes, James discovered he never chose to be an artist, rather he used art and artistic thought to delve into and process his own learnings. In the late 1970’s, a road trip to California adjusted James’ trajectory once again. He fell in love with San Francisco, the liberal perspective and the culture of questioning everything. He returned to Miami, gave away most of his possessions and traveled to the West Coast to begin again.

“I learned the power of passivity; to watch, listen and learn. That in my opinion, is a powerful thing.”

Firmly rooted in the San Francisco Bay Area, James established his business as a hairstylist and salon owner, started a family and continued his discovery into his own art. He aims to warp the viewer’s brain about what art can be, hoping that they interpret what it means to them, extrapolated from his own experiences. His paintings never start with a structure in mind, but are later formulated into a recognizable image only after building and rebuilding the idea in his mind until compelled to lay down a line. Even with an ever evolving style, James’ process remains constant. Using any and all mediums ranging from his regular application of oils, inks and acrylics as seen in pieces such as “Pink Lady” and “Kansas”, to utilizing gold leaf in “Chiva”, venturing into glass and steel work in “Prisoner”, or industrial-inspired hardware like in “Golden Eye”, these all fuse to communicate transitions and growth of James as an artist and can reflect our collective understandings.

“All of my work is a narrative, it’s not just shapes and forms; it’s a fragmented idea, it is fragmented to me too. It is not for me to tell you what it is. I’m hoping people look at the work and see it through the prism of their own narrative.”