James Van Fossan, b. 1964. Resides in Vail, Colorado.
A self-taught artist, James Van Fossan spent the majority of his early life working in the corporate field. Only seven years ago did he abandon steady employment for his true passion, art. Living master and close friend, Duffy Sheridan, introduced James to oil painting through casual studio sessions, where they discussed art and its philosophies more than they put brushes to canvas. Still, this rare and profound influence was enough to nudge Van Fossan into oils after a lifetime of working in graphite.
"What my work to-date represents is my study of the language and craft of oil painting. Words, like paintings, are used to express our hearts to others. However, a painting can say so much more, and is understood as though it were a universal language. I paint in a realistic manner simply because I feel my primary goal is to represent truth, reality, and to tell the story. I desire to paint and to speak clearly so that the more important matter of what I am trying to say comes through. Like any great craft, the time and detail fostered into a work of realism commands attention and invites the viewer to understand, or at least to consider, the painting. To share my philosophies and thoughts with others in such a beautiful and historical art form is a privilege I am determined to honor as I continue to work with all of my heart and mind on this life-long mission."
Today, James Van Fossan commands some of the highest recognitions in realism. In 2009, he was invited to join the prestigious International Guild of Realism, and he is now distinguished by the acclaimed international museum and salon, Art Renewal Center, as an "Associate Living Master". His work has been featured in American Art Collector, International Artist Magazine, Southwest Art, as well as other art and lifestyle publications.
CURRICULUM VITAE
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2011 "Rhythms of Grace", Cathedral Center for the Arts, Phoenix, Arizona
2009 "Face Forward; A Benefit for Mending the Soul Ministries", Rive Gauche Art Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2012 7th Annual International Guild of Realism Salon, Carmel, CA
2011 83rd Annual American Artists Professional League Grand National Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, New York
2011 International Guild of Realism 6th Annual Exhibition, Sage Creek Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2011 Scottsdale Salon of Fine Art, Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona
2011 "Martinis & Masterpieces", The Children's Museum of Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona
2011 "Sacred Places" & "Sacred Messages", Herberger Theater, Phoenix, Arizona
2010 82nd Annual American Artists Professional League Grand National Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, New York
2010 International Museum of Contemporary Masters of Fine Art, Greenhouse Gallery, San Antonio, Texas
2007 "Fresh Eyes", The Phippen Museum, Prescott, Arizona
AWARDS
2012 Finalist, Art Renewal Center's International Figurative Category, 2011/2012 ARC Salon, Glenham, New York
2012 Inducted into Art Renewal Center (ARC) as Associate Living Master
2011 Collectors' Choice Award, International Guild of Realism Exhibition, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2011 Finalist, Art Renewal Center's International Figurative Category, 2010/2011 ARC Salon, Glenham, New York
2010 Third Place, Cover Art Contest, Artist Portfolio Magazine
2010 Raymond Chow Memorial Award. 82nd Grand National Exhibition: American Artists Professional League, New York
2010 Finalist, Art Renewal Center's International Figurative Category, 2009/2010 ARC Salon, Glenham, New York
2010 Honorable Mention, International Masters of Fine Art, San Antonio, Texas
2009 Finalist, The Artist's Magazine 26th Annual Art Competition: Portrait/Figure Category, December issue
2009 Inductee into the International Guild of Realism, Scottsdale, Arizona
2008 Finalist, International Artist Magazine, Scottsdale, Arizona
2007 2nd place award recipient: Drawing Category, Phippen Museum Western Art Show, Prescott, Arizona
2006 Recipient of the Phippen Family Award, The Phippen Museum, Prescott, Arizona
2005 Semi-Finalist, Art Renewal Center's International Figurative Category, ARC Salon, Glenham, New York
BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Realist Tradition", American Art Collector, September 2012, Vol. 83, p173
"Representations of Grace", Beaver Creek Magazine, 2011-2012, p.48
"11th-Hour Sale", Southwest Art Magazine, May 2012, Vol. 41, No 18., p. 26.
"Get Real", American Art Collector Magazine, Scottsdale, Arizona, October 2011, Vol. 72, p. 102
"Face Forward", American Art Collector Magazine, Scottsdale, Arizona, January 2009, Vol. 39, p. 124.
"James Van Fossan, Finalist Segment", International Artist Magazine, Scottsdale, Arizona, December/January 2009, Vol. 64, p 9.
Jakubisin, Jeanette. "Sold! Mission Accomplished", American Art Collector Magazine, Scottsdale, Arizona, October 2008, Vol. 36, p. 242.
Television segment on mural work, 2007, KCAB News 28, Pinal County, Arizona
CRITIQUE BY AISTE PARMASTO: FINE ART CONSULTANT; ART D'ART, LLC.
Art by James Van Fossan: A View of Beauty
As a painter of people, James Van Fossan buttresses himself against the insuperable task of creating an illusion of likeness with the entelechy of his talent.
He gently documents the inconsistency of a human figure by suspending it in an expanded moment, while stretching himself towards the very inception of his model's personal journeys, failures, and triumphs. He often uses color, light and texture to describe people in a virtuous, tender sentimentality, expressed in realistic renditions of their form.
At first glance, Van Fossan's portraits seem to be constructed in silent, if not allegorical fulfillment, or a state of inner transformation. In meticulously arranged compositions, color travels in slow, fluid currents, carefully transporting the soft light in the folds of autumn yellows, midwinter blues and grays. Upon closer examination, it becomes evident that the deliberate absence of perspective recession and the often moodily textured background is an invitation to visit the epithet of human condition described in the model's form.
With an intimate gesture, Van Fossan pulls back the privacy curtain and allows one to intrude on a single moment of tender relaxation, personal expression or a translucent daydream. His subjects are unaware of being watched, scrutinized and observed. Instead, some are depicted in an instant of personal exchange with the artist and in a vulnerable state of self-reflection, which Mr. Van Fossan captures in the curve of a lip, the moisture of a gaze or the weight of an arm.
In subject matter, Mr. Van Fossan sometimes leans on Neoclassical symbolism and histrionics reminiscent of Romanticism. Here, the artist arranges his figures on a narrow stage, as a frieze across the pictoral plane, while documenting an idealized encounter between himself and his subjects. Interestingly, even though Van Fossan is capable of documenting the physical shortcomings of his models, he does not allow himself the dark pleasure of sliding into the macabre of human inadequacies, which seem to captivate and enthrall the contemporary art scene from time to time. Instead of dwelling on imperfections, Van Fossan bathes them in a halo of forgiving light and benevolence. This in turn allows the viewer to enjoy the rich crevices of his model's fabric, notice the slip of a shadow in between fingers, and examine the sometimes immense glance of his subject's eyes.
It is said that an artist paints what he sees. If that is true, then the world that James Van Fossan sees is void of nefarious, quotidian vices and instead is brimming with beauty, kindness, and personal resolve.
Aiste Parmasto
Fine Art Consultant
Art d' Art LLC