James Cawley

James always had a desire to create art. He can recall being drawn to painting and drawing at a very early age. In high school he became interested in industrial arts, such as architecture, photography and printmaking, be he never lost the desire to paint. Even during his time in the U.S. military, he always managed to draw and paint when time allowed. While working a full time job, he completed his BFA in studio art at Winthrop University, graduating Cum Laude. 

James has always kept a traditional approach to painting. He prefers to work in oil because of their unique and proven qualities with both the paint and the mediums. It permits him to work in specific details or use a gestural and bold approach as the composition dictates. James also constructs his substrates by hand. He feels this craftsmanship creates a better, more personal product. It permits him to optimize the dimensions and scale to the specific image composition.

James searches to go beyond the traditional framework of a landscape and seeks to find both the intimate and the infinite aspects of an image. He seeks to create works that are driven by the mood, the silence and the narrative that accompanies these images. It is important to James to develop works that seem familiar, yet distinct. It is not so much about a specific location or an identifiable place, but a place which is unique and special.