James Armstrong

Biography

James Armstrong - Artists - Pryor Fine Art

Reductive Oil Paintings on Aluminum, Steel, Canvas & Copper.

My paintings contrast serene landscapes with edgy, textured bits of metal peeking through, creating the glimmer of the sun on the surface of a pond or stream, adding to the luminosity of a cloud or sky and bringing both energy and balance to each composition.

I’m fascinated with the color hues and luminosity of various metals. I use these qualities
to extended my palette and to integrate into each composition
that which can't be mixed from paint tubes.

First, I work my paintings up to a fully-realized composition. I then scrape, grind, sand and buff away layers in what I call my “reductive” technique. I allow the process to take control and react to the needs of the painting. I paint, deconstruct, and repaint, cycling through the process over and over until the painting displays a balance between perfection and deconstruction, revealing a depth of layers, hidden textures, and the unique rich hues and luminosity of polished metal. 

CV

EDUCATION:  (BFA) BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS
EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ART.


An artist in a family of lawyers, Armstrong felt the desire to create compelling artworks from an early age, eventually earning a BFA and graduate degree from the East Carolina University School of Art. He began his career as the creative director of his own design agency in Newport Beach, CA, but has been a painter full-time since 2004.
Armstrong’s paintings are included in many corporate and private collections across the U.S., including the collections of Warner Brothers Studios, Cingular Wireless, MCA Universal, several television and movie actors, and the California Secretary of State.


SELECTED SHOWS | EXHIBITIONS:

Jan/Feb-2019. 30-works Artist Showcase Aerena Galleries Napa/Sonoma | 2018 Featured Artist Showcase Arena Galleries | Napa Valley Art Festival  | North of the Bay - Group show Christopher Queen Galleries | One Man Show – Just Looking Gallery  | “Contemporary Masters” Pasadena Museum of History | Cityscapes – Group show. Christopher Hill Gallery | Guest Artist Wendt Gallery Laguna Beach, CA | Contemporary Masters” Pasadena Museum of History | One Man Show – Hollis Gallery Pasadena, CA October | The Christopher Queen Galleries Annual Frugal Collectors | Christopher Hill Gallery One-Man Show | Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA One-Man Exhibition | Juried Artist, La Qunita Desert Plein Air CA

 
PRIVATE COMMISSIONS - CORPORATE COLLECTIONS:

- Cingular Wireless  - Federal Express - Permanent Collection of Atherton Country Club Atherton, CA - California Secretary Of State - Movie Studios of Warner Bros., MCA Universal

 

PUBLICATIONS:

American Bungalow

Art of The West 

Style 1900 

Old House interiors 

Arts & Crafts Homes  

Napa/Sonoma 

Savor Wine Country 

California Homes 
Plein Air Magazine | Association Memberships: California Art Club 

Laguna Plein Air Painters Association 

Society Of Western Artists

Historical Influences 

Early California Impressionism

Hudson River School 

Old Lyme Art Colony 

SF Bohemian Club Tonalists 

Arts & Crafts Era

 

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