Artist/Designer/Producer/Actor/Content Creator/Consultant/Motivator/Musician/Entrepreneur
Born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia.
James Patterson's art process is a documentary of life, institutional critique of western pedigogy, philosophical lessons and isssue, conflicts of ethical and moral interests, the inconsistencies of history versus the patrioarcial "hero's" journey demonstrated, narrated and illustrated in Art.
Graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) of Richmond, VA on May 2015 with a BFA in Fine Art focused on Painting and Printmaking with minor studies in Craft and Materials Research. In 2017 he relocated to the San Francisco Bay area to complete his graduate studies in Painting, Installation, Video Performance Art, Film, and New Genres. James Patterson graduated with his MFA at the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) on August 14, 2020, in San Francisco, CA.
My artwork is based on & in the Anthropocene (the Modern Contemporary Era) within and against the constructs of modern society, becoming a visual bridge to the micro and macro of politics, society, social justice, climate change & human emotions, with deep historical commentary juxtaposed on a local and global scale. I work within the mediums of Painting, Sculpture, Mural Installations, Video, Performance, Digital, and Film. With Art I use my voice to speak on issues involving race, identity, freedom, who has the freedom of speech, the freedom of expression, the power of priviledge, our process, and due process, the inequality of fairness, and the the unsustainability of truth. Each investigated throughly, analized, and reproduced in a body of work. I paint what I see, I paint what I feel. Empathy, Sympathy, and Apathy can occur. The culmination and cultivation of the combined cultures that raised me and the history of the country where I reside and my ancestors labored.
Thank you for taking the time to walk with me on this journey.