James Dean

Painting has always been my favorite thing to do, but I have not tried making a living at it. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from the University of Georgia, with a minor in drawing and painting, I continued to study painting in the Studies Abroad Program in Cortona, Italy.

With a student work permit I traveled to London and began working in Illustration and Graphic Design. Then I moved to New York City and did Graphic Design related work for over seven years. Whenever I went too long without painting, I did not feel like myself. Illustration, Graphic Design and then Print Production were interesting ways to make a living, but they rarely left much creative energy for my painting. Being in New York did, however, provide the opportunity to take courses from some excellent painters. A helpful teacher at the New School for Social Research suggested that to make a living and be an artist might require either completely separating my income from my art, or fully combining the two.

My inspiration for painting has always come from observing nature, which was hard to do while living in the city. One very cold winter, I decided to move back to Athens and concentrate on my painting. In my jobs I had focused increasingly on the technical side of Graphic Design, specializing in preparing digital files for the printing press. At the University of Georgia, for a few years I helped maintain the Graphic Design computer labs, and taught several technical courses. Even with a more technical focus, my energy for solving visual problems was often depleted at the end of the work day.

I set up a nice home studio and developed a method of painting that I really enjoyed. However, I still needed to spend more time in the studio. Remembering the advice of my teacher, I decided to try separating the income from the art. I broadened my technical skills in order to apply them to a wider variety of tasks. I began training as a Computer Help Desk worker, and am now making my living that way. This type of work enables me to save my visual creativity for painting.

At my first Help Desk job, I met my husband, Jack Kridler. As soon as we were married, he converted a spare room into a great studio for me. Through the support of Jack, my family and friends, I have been blessed with increasing opportunities. I have expanded on my original technique, which I call Chromatiglass Painting. Suspending acrylic paint and mixed media between glass, I enjoy orchestrating the interactions of pigments and liquid. I see the natural world as a sublime gift entrusted to our care. In this work I hope to capture a little of the vital beauty, order and mystery found in nature.