I was born October 30th (hell night for all you ghoulish folk) in a small town in Michigan. I was brought up with one brother and five sisters. My mother and father being both musical and artistic. As a child I remember always being entertained with their music or busy creating art with them. They were also very much into the out of doors and we spent a lot of time hiking, fishing and camping.

First off I do not consider myself a fantasy artist I am a folk artist or a fairy tale artist. I grew up listing to the old classic tales like the brothers grimm. I try very hard to make my work reflect that same feel and time period. With all of my work I do it for myself first and if others enjoy it that is the icing on the cake as they say. I love it when I see the different emotions on people`s faces as they look at my works. I think that if I was not getting my creativity out painting and sculpting I would have to find some other way of letting it out, if not I would be in a rubber room someplace. When working I start by making sketches. It is rare when I have an idea in my head. I think my best work comes through when I just start playing with my pencil on paper and letting THEM tell me what they want to become. Sometimes I get a number of paintings out of a couple of hours of sketching and sometimes I only get one. After coming up with a sketch I like I work with it some more defining it, adding to it, taking things away from it. When I am happy with the final sketch I then decide what medium I want to use. Sometimes the sketch just screams out what it wants to become ink, watercolor, pastel ect. Sometimes I need to just think about it for some time. After that is decided the real fun begins. I do not see the process as work, all thou it takes hours of sketching, drawing and painting to finalize a piece. Not to mention the years of on going learning it takes. I find it very relaxing. My work is not just something I do for fun, for me it is a way of life. And what a life. I can not imagine myself doing anything else. MAKING A LIVING: I worked for 9 years as a commercial artist in Southern California. I also taught art to children, teens, adults and mentally and physically challenged young adults for 9 years. My work has been displayed in galleries in California and in Michigan. It is displayed in homes throughout the U.S., Great Britain & Canada. I have been accepted into a number of juried shows throughout the years, taking several awards with my fairytale works.

GROWING UP:

ABOUT MY WORK AND HOW IT IS CREATED:

They also had a taste to learn of far off places and the people that live there. As a child and now as an adult I to have that same appreciation. When you look at my art you can see some of the influences of these cultures and their people. SCHOOLING: Other than art classes in high school and one college class, I am self taught. I learn from looking at other artists and reading. I try to keep my curiosity alive because I believe that is how an artist continues to grow.

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~JAMES~