Jimmie James

Jimmie James' lucky for you is a spontaneously drawn abstract work on paper executed in acrylic paint and watercolor pencil.  A painted white background lets pale color and pencil marks etched into the paper show through, while the line drawing of three figures sits on the surface of the picture plane.  A green tree, orange and pink flowers and two geese lend a bucolic quality to the work.  A poetic, dreamlike quality emanates from the juxtaposition of the mysterious and the closely observed and evocatively rendered: the gesture of the kneeling figures and the distinctive attitudes of the geese played against the strange, architectural structure in the upper right corner.  Harnessing a powerful economy of line, James' figural drawings are imbued with a deep sense of humanity and emotion. James frequently uses automatic drawing in his work to free his hand from the control of his mind, shapes arriving on the support directly from his unconscious.  This is an unframed painting on paper.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Jimmie James is a poet, painter, actor and singer/songwriter. This renaissanced artist has long been a fixture of New York City's art, theater and music scene, showing at a number of galleries including 571 Projects, Andrea Schwartz Gallery, Boltax Gallery, and Thomas Werner Gallery, to name a few. He has performed in works by theatrical luminaries including Richard Maxwell, Christina Masciotti, Danny Hoch, and Susan Lori Parks, and has composed for theater and film, where projects include Seth Zvi Rosenfeld's "Everything's Turning into Beautiful," Amos Poe's "Empire II."

Whether painting, performing or composing, Jimmie James' work remains accessible while refusing containment. He is doggedly trans-disciplinary: part shaman, part poet, part craftsman. Combining paint, fiber, word and image into tapestry-like works on canvas and paper, he creates pieces that exhibit a strong sense of emotional integrity and truth, through spontaneous, organic line work and considered use of color.

Jimmie James' works are present in a number of private collections. Recently returned from gallery exhibitions and performances in Japan, Thailand and Spain, he currently lives and works in Berlin, Germany.