James Bonner

Contemporary American realist painter James Michael Bonner received his formal training in art at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock primarily under the late Al Allen. Born in 1959 in Little Rock, Arkansas, James still considers himself to be a self-taught artist believing the process of trial and error to be essential for artistic development.

Citing the painters Andrew and Jamie Wyeth as major influences of his art, James taught himself how to paint with egg tempera and dry-brush watercolor eventually developing his own identifiable style. In addition, Jamie Wyeth’s proclivity for mixing different mediums has influenced him with incorporating oils, acrylics, casein, and gouache into his work.

Having a desire to experience what other artists, including the Wyeth’s, have when in Maine, James began visiting there in the 1990’s and always enjoys painting and drawing the often-overlooked scenes that fade into the background of everyday life. Maine is beautiful and gritty all at the same time. It’s these opposing forces that oftentimes are explored through the hidden ambiguities of his work.

In 2003, while rock climbing, James suffered a traumatic injury that would change the direction of his life away from art ...