James Christopher Hill Artist Biography
Born in Charleston, South Carolina, James Christopher Hill, has gained international notoriety for his paintings by his collectors and viewers. He is best known for painting his landscapes and skyscapes filled with vibrant color, swift movement and radiant energy in a contemporary stylistic language. His work explores the use of color and rhythm to create powerful, sweeping images that seek to provoke a particular mood or emotion by capturing an exact moment or memory in time that is meaningful to both him and the viewer.
As a professional artist in his early twenties including owning his own art gallery in downtown Charleston, James decided to acquire formal training at the prestigious Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, FL. In 1998, he graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Computer Animation; a field that while at Ringling, focused mainly on the understanding and discipline of master drawing and painting skills. His senior thesis entitled "Jataka" took home the Gold Oscar in the category of Best Student Computer Animation in 1998 from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 1999, James returned to the discipline of fine art and his work has been shown in eight galleries in Charleston and he has recently had two gallery openings in the Chelsea district in Manhattan, New York where his work was well received. He has won numerous awards in both fine art and computer animation including the AVA, Telly and the Aurora. He currently sits on the North Charleston Arts Council and has served as vice-chairperson for both the Council and two art guilds in Charleston. In 2007, he created and published his first art book entitled Skyscapes and Landscapes. Since 2005, he has curated several shows with over 30 artists and is now showcasing his works as and exhibitor at Science Fiction/Fantasy conventions including DragonCon, Megacon, Heroes Con, ConCarolina, X-Con and Memphis Comic Con 2010.
While James is developing a growing number of private and commercial collectors throughout the United States and the world; his local commercial clientele list includes Roper West Ashley Surgery Center, Cypress Gardens, the Folly Beach Crab Shack, Planet Follywood, RB’s on Shem Creek and the Mellow Mushroom downtown. Planet Follywood has an outdoor mural which is over 900 square feet in size and contains 14 life-size representations of some of Hollywood's most famous celebrities of the 1950's. In 2006, James was asked to create a 14' painting with 14 figures as an homage to the ancient Alutiiq Indian Tribe of Alaska by Alutiiq Corporation. He has been profiled on Art is Spectrum, Domain, and N Magazines, Channel Five’s Carolina Camera, the Post and Courier and the Charleston City Paper. Still, James works every day to try to expand his knowledge and his talents through the study of the great masters of art throughout the ages.
His latest works finds James returning to his childhood passion of creating Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction paintings. These new paintings focus on several subjects including paintings of old abandoned houses, dark castles and ruins or even eerie, fog-ridden cemeteries at night during a full moon are an homage to the brilliant cinematography of the classic horror films in black and white while at the same time, James is creating colorful paintings of future cities and beautiful fantastical environments that are a hopeful look at a world at peace that lives in harmony with the Earth or perhaps even other planets we may one day colonize.
To see his work, you can visit his websites at
www.JamesHillGallery.com www.FineArtAmerica.com www.JamesHillGallery.Deviantart.com
Email Information: [email protected]
