Biography from Sunflower Fine Art & Framing:
| James Coleman - a name synonymous with sweeping skies, tropical rain forests, rich deep woods and silent deserts.
James Coleman was born in Hollywood, California in 1949. As a youth, his creative abilities seemed to dominate his world. Though he lacked the athletic skills of his young friends, he more than made up for it with imagination and ingenuity. As a young man, his interest in filmmaking and fine art would mark the beginning of a long, successful career in animated films.
Coleman began his career with Walt Disney Studios in the summer of 1969, when his mother, who had been working as a secretary with Disney since the Hyperion days, got him a job in the studio's mailroom. His big break came when he entered one of his paintings in the studio art show. Several of the Disney artists viewing his work, saw his potential and realized he had an untapped ability and encouraged him to go into animation background painting.
Walt Disney Productions welcomed his creative energies. His first film, "Winnie, the Pooh and Tigger, too", sparked his interest not only in painting backgrounds but also in background design and color styling.
After completing, "The Rescuers", his first feature film, he was promoted to
Background Department Supervisor, a position he held for nearly seventeen years. During that time, he personally hired and trained a select group of artists, whom he would work with for most of his career at Disney.
While at Disney, James styled and worked on twelve films and over thirty short subjects which included "Mickey's Christmas Carol","The Fox and the Hound", "The Great Mouse Detective", "The Black Cauldron", "The Little Mermaid", and Academy Award-winning, "Beauty and the Beast". All of which came to life with James Coleman's background images gracing the silver screen.
In 1991, after twenty-two years with Disney, James left to pursue a new career. He was ready to devote all of his time and talent to the love of his life, fine art. He uses vibrant colors, strong design and exquisite detail.
Coleman works in oil, watercolor, gouache and pastel. His work is impressionist and luminous. A master of color, light and design, Coleman's work is collected and around the world. James Coleman pieces can be found in many personal and corporate collections including that of the Disney family.
Coleman is a naturalist and environmentalist who involve himself with the National Parks and other environmental organizations. He has been a finalist for five years in the Arts for the Parks competition. His work is represented by galleries in North America, the Orient and the Hawaiian Islands
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Biography from Lee Youngman Galleries:
| James Coleman was born in Hollywood, California March 23, 1949. He began painting at the age of seventeen, studying on his own. He joined the California Air National Guard after a brief time at a junior college, serving as illustrator on the base newspaper.
Coleman began his career in the motion picture industry in 1969, when he was hired by Walt Disney Productions as an animation background painter. It was then his formal training began, serving apprenticeship and working with artists such as Ralph Hulett, Al Dempster, Guy Deel, and watercolorist Jake Lee. In 1973 Coleman became lead painter and Supervisor of the Animation Background Department. In the years to follow he worked as Art Director, Color Stylist and Designer for Disney as well as other studios and corporations.
Artist Statement:
"I began to show my work at age twenty-one and was given my first
one-man show by Disney one year later. For the next several years, my
work was exhibited locally, which I searched to establish my identity
and form of expression which best fit my talents. In the beginning I
worked with very simple design and limited pallet, some of my pieces
were quite expressionist. Then I began to make changes in my
approach, until I found what Jim Coleman really does best. Each artist
has his own identity, unless he is trying to emulate someone else. Once
you've found your direction, then you can begin to hone and perfect
your way of expressing yourself.
I live for the outdoors and spend as
much time as possible out in nature. Backpacking allows me to reach
places seldom seen. Subject matter is everywhere but it's nice to run
across and sketch things people may never experience first hand. I've
painted the Southwest, West Coast, Northwest Sierra Nevada, Hawaii and
California Redwoods. Many of my paintings are included in both the
Disney family and corporate collections. I'm always learning from
nature, other artists and my own insight. It's a never-ending process .
. . I hope."
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