About James
I studied art whenever and wherever I could. I’d take out a magnifying glass to try and figure out how these painters did their work. Sometimes, I’d get shooed away by the guards, sometimes I wouldn’t.
James Yale, Artist
January 31, 1947 – August 18, 2023
James Yale, a self-taught artist, was born in the small rural farm town of Jasper, Missouri. As a young child James began to express an interest and ability in writing, drawing, and painting between the early age of three to six years old with his grandmother. “My grandmother had an amazing collection of books with engravings, wonderful illustrations. She was my first teacher, she taught me to paint and draw. She was active in the Eastern Star, so I had an introduction to mysticism early in my life.”
Yale had little opportunities to be introduced to formalism in art during his years in rural public schools. Nature was his art school, he preferred ” …arts, writing and fishing, and was basically lost in my own little universe”. He always took a sketch book when he fished.
“There weren’t a lot of opportunities to study art, but drafting was pretty close to art. I loved geometry and physics, so architecture and engineering were good for me.” He passed the Missouri architecture exam in high school.
He poured over books, and when possible went to galleries and museums within a 500 mile radius. Standing inches away from the works – some created centuries earlier – he examined the brush strokes, the thickness of the paint, and all of the details not visible in a book or a print. Then he practiced creating pieces with his own style.
Yale said that he learned his craft in museums and galleries.
“I studied art whenever and wherever I could. I’d take out a magnifying glass to try and figure out how these painters did their work. Sometimes, I’d get shooed away by the guards, sometimes I wouldn’t.”
Yale recalls being moved to tears when he saw a Vincent Van Gogh painting of the artist’s bed and studio. “I was six inches away from it, magnifying glass in hand. The emotion, the energy was incredible.” American illustrator and painter Maxfield Parrish and 19th century French artist William Bouguereau were important influences.
Yale apprenticed with several professional teaching artists at a young age. He felt fortunate with this early exposure of apprenticing that taught him many aspects of the art world that could never be obtained from a formal education
One of his professors, Arthur Boles, who retired from the Art Institute of Chicago, befriended Yale and took him and other students on as apprentices. As part of that, they helped around the house designed by Arthur’s friend Frank Lloyd Wright. “I learned more from him in just visits while pulling weeds and planting roses than I did in his classes.” Boles told stories about philosophy, ambition, and creative force, describing how to focus the imagination. Boles, who also did etchings for Pablo Picasso, sent Picasso samples of Yale’s work. And Picasso invited Yale to visit him. Picasso also wrote back, “First you must learn to break the rules of your craft and master them…if you don’t use your imagination, take chances, experiment and promote yourself…you will just become a human camera. If I had just painted portraits…no one would have known my name today.”
At 22 years old Yale moved to Houston and worked for an engineering firm that did contract work for NASA. The last project he did for Ray Geophysical was a digital solar-powered seismograph that went to the moon on the Apollo II Mission. He watched the trip from Mission control at NASA. His interest in science is reflected in his cosmic realism paintings.
His multi-dimensional talents continued to produce a large volume and variety of paintings, sculpture, writings and designs for inventions.
Yale was a romanticist, a dreamer, a futurist, verging on the metaphysical in the depiction of limitless space in which his symbolic figures move. This is true whether the work was executed as a painting, drawing, or sculpture. As an artist working in diverse media, he was intent on achieving an inner reality that communicates visual overtones of the surreal, metaphysical nature of existentialism, where he questioned life’s values and the complexities of the universe.
“I produce work without explaining it. I want people who see my work to use their own dreams and imaginations to invent their own stories from what they see.”
Live models were used in most of James’ paintings. He captures the light and energy of the human form with masterful works that combine nature and all of its mysteries in a timeless fashion. It’s the dual reality of creating illusions of both the seen and unseen worlds that stimulate our emotions and stir our dreams.
Yale has owned and operated studios and galleries in Missouri, Texas, and Arkansas. At the same time, he traveled across the country sketching and painting portraits and receiving commissions for over 50 years. He has illustrated newspapers, magazines, books, music albums and CD cover art. James also worked in advertising, producing print media, videos and television commercials. Yale won many awards across the country in both commercial and fine art.
Yale’s life is Ozark history. He has done portraits for corporations and individuals. Yale’s Client List includes: Sam and Helen Walton- Founders of Walmart, Don Tyson- Tyson Foods, Doreen Virtue- Author / Hay House Publishing USA and UK. His more famous subjects include Sam and Helen Walton, Bill Clinton, Willie Nelson, E. Fay Jones, Doctor Benjamin Spock, and countless others around the world.
We are pleased to announce James’ and Charlotte’s books are now available in paperback.
A DELICATE BALANCE
An Epic Journal of Space and Time – Published in a Three Volume Set by James Yale
Here are couple of five star reviews by Amazon customers:
James is a true visionary in his attempt to conquer the fear of the unknown. His journey begins when a mysterious acquaintance goes missing. In his pursuit to find him James stumbles across several hand written journals. What the journals reveal is a facinating array of possibilities. The story leads the reader to question, are we alone in the universe?
James Yale, author of A Delicate Balance series, is a master painter of extraordinary proportions. That same master artistic talent fulfills its immense character as an artist at weaving a stunning tapestry of life through story beautifully protrayed. Combining tales from a journal dropped into his lap by an “angel” come to awareness, along with his own infinitely touching notations, makes for a compelling tale of life’s meaning that not only stretches one’s imagination, but which also touches both the heart and soul. Indeed without giving away the key elements of this series, it is sure to take you on roads less traveled, to worlds beyond the ordinary. Drinking in the language and meaning found not only on the lines, but between them, is sure to open willing readers to the rich texture of their own lives, to places and ideas many have not dared to fathom. Adverterous, humourous, and straight forward with no holds barred, this refreshing series is one that is sure to entertain as well as inform; sure to delight as well as inspire. Dig in; you’ll be glad you did, many times over! – Jim Young, author of Aware in a World Asleep, and other spiritual books.