New Website! www.jamespatricklane.com

I am really excited to have my new website up and running. I like the design choices I had and my ability to process payments through credit card is going to help a lot. Stop by and check it out at: http://www.jamespatricklane.com

Peace!
James

Artist Discovery: Kiyoshi Yamashita's Japanese Art

A friend of mine in Japan turned me on to the artwork of Yamashita Kiyoshi and I've been mesmerized by his technique and his life story. Can you believe that he worked with tiny pieces of torn paper? She told me that my painting of a #Yakatabune in Tokyo Harbor reminded her of his work. He has long since passed away but I think this goes to show that if you create great art with all of your heart you can leave a lasting impression on the world long after you have departed.
http://freemanproject.wordpress.com/2010/05/29/kiyoshi-yamashita/

Cherry Blossom Festival painting wins the juror award at the KVIE art auction. .

I was surprised to get a call from the people at Channel 6 letting me know that I had won a juror's award from the 300 paintings in this show. I'm not exactly sure what that means but I'm happy about it. Thanks to KVIE! So I guess it's good to edit after all.

To Edit or Not to Edit? That is the Question.

I've decided that rather than continue creating new works I'm going to go back and fix some of the pieces that have always bugged me, for one reason or another. For example, I've always felt that my large oil painting from the Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival in Japantown, San Francisco, had a dull sky, not only in action but in color. (See below) The blue was kind of dead. I went back and added some clouds, birds, etc. and this gave it a lot more energy. I also added the "SF" logo to the Giants booth and included a lot of cherry blossoms in the air. I wanted the fans to be focal points so I added more white and added a darker red to the rising sun part. I'm much happier with the final version. Let me know what you think?

Painting wet in wet has some limitations and it takes a few months to let time pass and paint dry in order to see what you'd like to adjust. I took some inspiration from Terry Miura, who doesn't give up on a painting if it nags him for some editing a few months or years later. What are your thoughts?

After

Before

Book 3, Tread Softly Released This Month

I truly enjoyed painting the cover for JJ Marsh's third crime novel, Tread Softly, which takes place in the Rioja wine growing region of Northern Spain. The original has paint that is so thick that it has a 3-D effect. I had a blast painting it and I hope this book flies off the shelves. I can't wait for book #4 to commence in earnest.

Books Two and Three in Stores Now!

I'm happy to announce that books two and three from JJ Marsh's Beatrice Stubbs crime series have now been released in Europe. They are also available as Kindle versions from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Raw-Material-JJ-Marsh/dp/3952397040/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1372268539&sr=8-5&keywords=jj+marsh

It has been a lot of fun working with JJ. I can't believe we are halfway done with this project.

Pura Vida en Costa Rica!

I am writing from a little internet cafe in Quepos, Costa Rica, having just returned from Manuel Antonio beach. I didn,t go to the park itself. There is no shortage of artisinal talent there, but I didn,t buy very much because I can only lug around so many souvenirs. One item I like collecting is masks because many countries around the world have them and they each seem to tell a story. I have been keeping a little journal while I am here and collecting all kinds of cool stuff along the way. You never know who will see it someday.... I plan to head back to Sacramento on Friday.