The beauty of natural settings in the Ozarks was the inspiration and muse behind the art of James Yale. He captures Ozark light and energy in masterful works that combine nature and its mysteries into timeless mythologies. Yale invites the viewer into a dual reality by creating illusions of both the seen and unseen worlds, which stimulate our emotions and manifest our dreams. Yale’s work has been compared to that of Renaissance polymaths who excelled in science, mathematics and the arts. He has also been described as a modern day Da Vinci for his scientific, naturalistic and artistic curiosity.
Just recently we found Study #1Â of the original working drawing for my favorite James Yale oil painting, The Mer Family.
Live models were used in most of James’ paintings. His intuition of human nature allowed him to capture more than form and color of his models, he captured their essence. The setting is at Lake Leatherwood. The models: Andy, Jessica, and baby Uriah were a family living in Eureka Springs at the time.
This is where I call on you, Art Detectives. Some of you may have known the models of the Mer Family. I would love to one day add their story about modeling for James. Now start detecting…
– Charlotte Buchanan Yale
