James Graham ~ Bunganuc Studio

About the Artist

Graham’s works are a mash-up of the coastal Maine landscape he has lived in since 2015, and newfound freedom—of emotion, of materials, and of space—combined with the vast Plains landscape of his South Dakota youth, the words of Bob Dylan, the philosophy of Walter Benjamin, and the jazz notes of John Coltrane.

Graham’s paintings walk the line between utopia and dystopia—simultaneously beautiful and terrifying. In his quest to create a true and transformative painting, he mulls society, the environment, and politics, eventually presenting us with an abstract, refracted representation of our messy and beautiful world.

While at first glance, you might not recognize natural elements in Graham’s abstract works, the imagery of sun-dappled trees, orange and red fall leaves, fireflies in an August hayfield, or the winter sun along a tree line, are hard to ignore.

In 2005 Graham’s life was altered dramatically due to a diagnosis of neurological Lymes disease. The various symptoms caused him to change his approach painting, and limited hours of activity created a new a style that is more immediate, relying on the language of paint and his skill as a painter. The illness formed a looser, more immediate style of painting.