By Truc Minh Vo

When politics are at the forefront of news headlines and the corporate bitchassedness is winning, the art world breathes into our mugs, a breath of urbane social commentary. James Shields is the artistic disciple for whom I credit this direction of creative discovery, social commentary, and a painter’s evolution.

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James invited me to his modest Harlem apartment-turned-studio to preview paintings for “Colored Dreams,” his debut art show on Saturday. After reviewing some of his finished pieces, he takes me to the room where he was working on a piece for the show. In an obviously used painter’s apron and Angel’s fitted (he is from California), he takes to the canvas. He was considerate with the brush but had confident paint strokes, no hesitation.

After some careful observation, I started the conversation.

I ask him how long it typically takes to complete a piece. He’s been painting seriously since April, and has picked up his quickness. Still, it takes him about three days to a week to finish at the rate he’s going at now. He credits the speed and technique to the brushes that he uses. He’s learning how the color takes on the canvas—the time it takes he says, depends on the composition and not just the technique.

With a background in California, James noted that he is inspired by graffiti. Since he wouldn’t tag buildings, he found a way to channel his artistic perspective and still connects to graffiti through his painting. He is influenced by the words and the feelings of it. This translates into James’ serious goal as an artist—that the piece has to relays an emotion and energy, in every stroke.

Formally a corporate employee, navigating the institutional jungle, James battled between work-life and the creative world. He felt suffocated by the office conditions and called it a prison. Though the experience, however, he discovered that, “You can’t put a time limit on a great idea”. He referred to the deadlines of the corporate world and how it differs to the creative process. “The creative process is such a grind—a battle between force and just letting it flow,” he says.

“Only in America could you find a way to earn a healthy buck–And still keep your attitude on self-destruct.” M.F. Doom, as referenced by James Shields.

Since leaving the corporate industry in April, James says that this experience has personally been a “conversation with myself”. He feels like he is finally pursuing his dreams. He has had a “creative niche” through college and now he is doing what he wants to do. Every time he paints, he expresses his point of view. He says, “As an artist, you are always looking for inspiration”.

This year’s summer month of June was the inspiration for one of the pieces from the collection of paintings that really stood out to me. It’s titled Little Boy June. James says that at a point, June was very gloomy and depressing, which represented how he felt about the current situation that surrounded him. Little Boy June was a product of that emotion. He goes on to say that, “I had a conversation about what I felt though that painting—with Little Boy June himself.”

James notes that Little Boy June is simply about the feeling, “what the audience should feel about it is connecting with the image itself”. He has gotten three different perspectives on the piece—His mother, who is a teacher, connected with the burden of her students; his friend, who is from Africa, connected it to the experience, images, and disparity of living in Africa; and he himself connected to the 5 cents-a-day child living in poverty, no hope. These three different emotional interpretations, he realized, connect to the human emotional level.

James has formed somewhat of a philosophical view through painting. He admits that it has been challenging because he used to (and still does) thinks visually and his conversations with people were often manifested though his own thought process. Once he started having conversations with himself was when it translated to art. The paintings became, essentially are, his thoughts.

He says the experience can often times be scary. “It has been a freeing experience, though. My faith journey”. He feels fortunate to do this, something he is passionate about. He says at this point he can and will just “wait on God”.

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