Jimmie James

Jimmie James' more than you'll ever know is an abstract mixed media drawing on paper, the drawn elements over a subtly nuanced painted background.  Brushy clouds of of grays and white paint out lines etched into the paper.  In the upper left, the standing figure of a girl is created in brief red pencil line- her dress and pinafore referencing an Alice in Wonderland kind of fairy tale heroine.  The central figures of a standing man and a dog sitting patiently, create a vignette, like a small, remembered moment.  Painting out drawn elements which at times are etched into the surface of the paper, activates a sense of the slow erasure of memory. 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 work 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.