About the Artist.
James has been painting since about 2002. He has a bachelor of arts from UM-St Louis and extensive experience with painting, photography, writing, cooking, and enjoying the intricate complexities of the human experience. Outside of art, James enjoys playing board games, cooking, running, adventuring, spending time with his family, and laying under trees without his glasses, watching light swirl through summer leaves.
Though many of the works in this portfolio exist in groups, there is no over-arching "theme", except that it is mine; to me, art is an exploration of nonverbal (visual) communication, and each piece, each artist, each viewer, has its own language, which creates an inherent diversity of style, flavor, meanings, messages, and intents. Explorations of the conscious and subconscious mind, of the ephemeral connection between artist and the viewer, are not always obvious, clear, or direct, but nonetheless that connection exists, waiting for the viewer to take in, build upon, and enjoy.
Photography is an interesting medium in that on one hand is an expressive art form, but on the other is taken as a truthful representation of events. It can bridge the gap between fact and fiction or go either way- it can be completely representative of a specific place and time, a manipulated and staged falsehood, or an amalgam of the two with a very hazy and indistinct border, leaving the viewer to wonder if the hyper-reality in the photograph is real- assuming that the viewer even looks for it. Such a wonderful playground cannot be passed up.
This crazy, dynamic, amazing universe in which we live is a rich and rewarding place, and we should throw ourselves into it with abandon. The world is a better place because we make it better.
Though many of the works in this portfolio exist in groups, there is no over-arching "theme", except that it is mine; to me, art is an exploration of nonverbal (visual) communication, and each piece, each artist, each viewer, has its own language, which creates an inherent diversity of style, flavor, meanings, messages, and intents. Explorations of the conscious and subconscious mind, of the ephemeral connection between artist and the viewer, are not always obvious, clear, or direct, but nonetheless that connection exists, waiting for the viewer to take in, build upon, and enjoy.
Photography is an interesting medium in that on one hand is an expressive art form, but on the other is taken as a truthful representation of events. It can bridge the gap between fact and fiction or go either way- it can be completely representative of a specific place and time, a manipulated and staged falsehood, or an amalgam of the two with a very hazy and indistinct border, leaving the viewer to wonder if the hyper-reality in the photograph is real- assuming that the viewer even looks for it. Such a wonderful playground cannot be passed up.
This crazy, dynamic, amazing universe in which we live is a rich and rewarding place, and we should throw ourselves into it with abandon. The world is a better place because we make it better.
