JAZZ – The Art of James Terrell

I first came upon the jazz inspired work of artist James Terrell while working on When Harlem Came to Paris.  His unique style certainly separates him from the pack and when Cherisse (Boreisadirtyword) brought up the idea of having him feature his work at JAZZ it was a no brainer.

Click the link to the see more of James’ work as well as check his complete bio:

I received the Bachelors of Fine Art degree in 1999 from Howard University. I received the Masters of Fine Arts degree in 2002 from Parsons School of Design in New York City. In May of 2006, I received the Masters of Divinity Degree from the Union Theological Seminary in New York City with my focus on Theology and the Fine Arts. While attending Union Theological Seminary, I took Fine Art painting elective courses at Columbia University.

I am also currently the Art and Design Teacher for Spingarn Senior High School. I teach the fundamentals of Art and Design to students from grades 9^th to 12^th. I taught the fundamentals of Fine Art at Macfarland Junior High School and Brown Middle School.

I have lectured on the importance of fine art and influential artist at Union Theological Seminary, Howard University, Second Baptist Church, Martin Luther King Memorial Library, Corcoran School of Design and Sumner Museum. I have exhibited paintings in solo exhibitions and in group exhibitions in Washington D.C, New York City and New Jersey.

Art is representative of the reality, which lies beneath the natural, physical appearance of the human existence. Art is historical, political, psychological, musical and emotional. Art is a form of a deeper understanding, which exposes the truths of life. Art is a visual language, which is devoted to depicting the visual contemplation of the human experience. Art is a doorway, open to expressing various levels of human emotion and truth through the forms of pattern, texture, shape, line, shade, color, contour and shadow. Art is important because it allows the youth to express many of the issues confronting them today in a positive manner.

Art is commentary on ones environment. Art is an examination of humanity. Although different streams of consciousness, ethnicity, and spirituality exist and struggle within all of humanity, the different forms of art convey and explore the concerns, joys and beauty that exist within all of humanity.

To view more of James’ work and his goings-on visit Link.