James Koskinas is a painter, writer, actor and co-creator of the film, “The Twilight Angel,” as well as a play, “Even if The Mountains Burn.” He attended the College of Arts and Crafts, in Oakland, California and has more recently studied with artists with Bob Winston, Robert Burridge, and Dean Howell.
Currently James lives works, paints and writes in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife, Julie Schumer, also a painter.
The figure is James’ primary theme, part of his quest to know the human condition. He attempts to paint as automatically as possible which is intended to bring forth elements of his unconscious. He adds layers of paint until the original painting has been covered over many times, working at a rapid pace. He usually has more than one painting going at the same time. Influenced by Native American mythology, Koskinas sees the role of the artist as akin to that of a shaman, trusting his instincts and freeing the figure from the customary restraints that painting imposes.
A chance meeting with a lost stallion on a Arizona highway set in motion Koskinas’s lifetime obsession with painting horses. Lately he has added a rider to his horses. The riders have become self-portraits and a search for unity between the horse and man.
Resume
BORN: Terre Haute, Indiana
EDUCATION: Attended California College of Arts and Crafts [art studies], University of California, Irvine [creative writing studies], Lesley College [art therapy studies]
Further art and design studies with California artists Robert Burridge and Bob Winston and New Mexico artist Dean Howell.
WRITING AND PERFORMANCE PROJECTS
2011 October, performance piece titled Mal Suerte, Buen Suerte at Selby Fleetwood Gallery, Santa Fe
2009 Wrote and performed one man play in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, Even if the Mountains Burn
2008-9 Studied with Tanya Taylor Rubinstein of Project Life Stories
Wrote, starred in “The Twilight Angel,” a feature length award wining film released in 2014.
SHOWS
2021 Art San Diego Rave Virtual Fair by Redwood Art Group
2021 New York Rave Virtual Fair by Redwood Art Group
2021 Austin Rave Virtual Fair by Redwood Art Group
2020 December, Rave Miami Online show with Redwood Art Group
2020 October, 2 person show at Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery, Lafayette, CA
2020 February, Art Palm Springs, Palm Springs, CA
2020 February, Wildemeyer Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2019 October, Art San Diego, San Diego, CA
2018 October, Art San Diego, CA
2017 March, 2 person show at Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery, Lafayette, CA
2016 February, 2 person show at Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, Lubbock, Texas.
2014 May, Group show, Jay Etkin Gallery, Memphis, Tennessee
2012 April, Group show, Muse Fine Art, Denver, Colorado
2011 November, Group Show, Arlington Museum of Art, Arlington, Texas
2011 January, Group show, Matrix Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2010 October, Group show, Matrix Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2008-2010 Various group shows at Selby Fleetwood Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2007 October, Group show, Marziart, Hamburg, Germany
2006 October, Group show, New Editions Gallery, Lexington, Kentucky
2006 June, Two person show, Farrell-Fischoff Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2005 November, Solo show, Farrell-Fischoff Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2005 May, Group show, Farrell-Fischoff Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2005 April, Two person show, New Editions Gallery, Lexington, Kentucky
2005 March, Emerging Artists show, Scottsdale, Arizona
2005 January to March, Group show, Farrell-Fischoff Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2004 November, Two person show, SKF Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2004 April, Solo Show, James Hart Exhibition Space, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2003 October, Group Show, El Museo Cultural, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2003 February, Solo show, Koskinas Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico