The Artistic Journey of James Bama
Born in New York City, United States, James Bama began his creative path by copying Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon comic strip. After graduating from the High School of Music and Art, he served in the Army Air Forces, where he worked as a mechanic, mural painter, and physical training instructor. Following his discharge, he studied drawing and anatomy at the Art Students League in New York City. His professional career included a fifteen-year tenure as an illustrator at Charles E. Cooper Studios, and he later became a successful commercial artist. His diverse body of work included:
Western Realism and Later Life
In 1966, Bama and his wife, Lynne Klepfer, moved to a ranch near Cody, Wyoming. While initially working as a freelance illustrator in the evenings, he began painting contemporary Western subjects during the day. By 1971, he decided to abandon illustration to focus entirely on easel paintings. His realistic style often utilized specific lighting techniques, such as butterfly lighting, and he utilized thousands of photographs as studies for his work. His art is held in collections such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., which contains his work Roy Benzona--Old Man Wyoming from 1970. He was inducted into the Illustrator’s Hall of Fame in 2000 and received the Spectrum Grand Master Award in 1998.
Questions & Answers
Can I explore James Bama's works by subject?
The Subject Atlas of James Bama is a page that maps the artist's artworks by their subjects.
How can I see every artwork made by James Bama?
Every work by James Bama on this website can be browsed from the artist's All Artworks page.
How popular are James Bama's artworks?
The Stats page of James Bama presents statistics computed from the artist's artworks listed on this website.
What are the birthplace and birth year of James Bama?
James Bama was born in New York City in 1926.
