Growing up in a creative family in Brooklyn, New York was the perfect environment for Jim Walsh who paints as J. Charles. “My family enjoys the arts and encouraged me to follow my passion for drawing and painting. Not every child gets that opportunity.”
After a stint in the US Navy he felt the need to wander, hitch-hiking across the country and settling in California … for awhile. From there he moved to Montreal, Canada, and eventually traveled west to Alberta where he apprenticed as a sign painter and eventually open his own sign company. Relocating to the west coast opened up a new world for the young painter providing him with an environment where he could concentrate and fine tune his artistic talents.
He continued his formal art training in the Graphic Design and Illustration program at Capilano College in North Vancouver taking a range of courses in still life and figure painting. His unique style and eye-catching work quickly gained him local recognition as a vibrant and prolific painter.
A unique style that is constantly evolving, Charles’ work encompasses elements of fine art and graphic design. As an Active Status member of the Ferderation of Canadian Artists he has been exhibited chiefly in the Pacific northwest and with Fine Caribbean Art, one of south Florida’s acclaimed galleries. His work is featured in the permanent collection of the Alberta Art Foundation as well as in private and corporate collections through North America including the North American home office of Sqibb-Bristol Meyers. A selection of his work is published as open edition canvas art prints through Art in Motion and made available worldwide.
James Charles currently resides in the lower mainland of British Columbia.
