James Postill
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James Postill
James Postill is a contemporary Canadian artist, living and practicing his art in Vernon, BC. Of all the
artistic media James has worked with and mastered, he works mainly in acrylics and oils.
James started drawing from an early age and by high school, he was creating high realism.
He zeroed in on painting by the time he enrolled at Okanagan College, earning his bachelor of fine arts
degree from Okanagan University College in 1993, with a major in painting.
As a second year student there, he was fortunate to receive positive encouragement during a visit from
legendary Canadian artist Jack Shadbolt, who was at the college as a guest lecturer. In their conversation
he said James had “a good painting future”.
Today, James considers Rick Bond a foremost mentor among all the contemporary painters he’s met and
learned from, citing him as the main reason James became serious about painting. James’s oil and
acrylic paintings have since been in many FCA shows, won awards and prizes, and are found in
collections around the world.
In 2022 he was graced with the honor of attaining the Federation of Canadian Artists’ signature status, of which there are only 118 FCA artists in Canada with this distinction. Even rarer is the fact that when juried, he was accelerated from active status, straight past the next level of associate status, to signature status.
Very recently, James was juried in as an elected member to the prestigious Society of Canadian Artists, and is pleased to be welcomed into Gallery Odin’s roster of artists. He feels honored to be part of the stellar list of galleries he’s represented by, including Kurbatoff Gallery in Vancouver, BC, Gibson Fine Art in Calgary, Alberta, Elevation Gallery in Fernie, BC and in Canmore, Alberta.
To see his art online, go to his website at https://www.postillartworks.com
Artist Statement
My artwork feels like a continuously evolving body of work that explores different themes of interest. Sometimes it will stay focused on certain ones for long periods of time. For years, I have found myself quite taken with the abstract possibilities of water, specifically the dysmorphic effect it has on lights and objects, when seen through a rainy windshield, from a driver’s or passenger’s perspective. These views and concepts not only take me to the edge of abstraction, but also awaken and evoke in me, a deep-rooted sense of comfort and isolation associated with childhood car trips. There’s a sense of being sheltered in a bubble, safe from the outside elements.
artistic media James has worked with and mastered, he works mainly in acrylics and oils.
James started drawing from an early age and by high school, he was creating high realism.
He zeroed in on painting by the time he enrolled at Okanagan College, earning his bachelor of fine arts
degree from Okanagan University College in 1993, with a major in painting.
As a second year student there, he was fortunate to receive positive encouragement during a visit from
legendary Canadian artist Jack Shadbolt, who was at the college as a guest lecturer. In their conversation
he said James had “a good painting future”.
Today, James considers Rick Bond a foremost mentor among all the contemporary painters he’s met and
learned from, citing him as the main reason James became serious about painting. James’s oil and
acrylic paintings have since been in many FCA shows, won awards and prizes, and are found in
collections around the world.
In 2022 he was graced with the honor of attaining the Federation of Canadian Artists’ signature status, of which there are only 118 FCA artists in Canada with this distinction. Even rarer is the fact that when juried, he was accelerated from active status, straight past the next level of associate status, to signature status.
Very recently, James was juried in as an elected member to the prestigious Society of Canadian Artists, and is pleased to be welcomed into Gallery Odin’s roster of artists. He feels honored to be part of the stellar list of galleries he’s represented by, including Kurbatoff Gallery in Vancouver, BC, Gibson Fine Art in Calgary, Alberta, Elevation Gallery in Fernie, BC and in Canmore, Alberta.
To see his art online, go to his website at https://www.postillartworks.com
Artist Statement
My artwork feels like a continuously evolving body of work that explores different themes of interest. Sometimes it will stay focused on certain ones for long periods of time. For years, I have found myself quite taken with the abstract possibilities of water, specifically the dysmorphic effect it has on lights and objects, when seen through a rainy windshield, from a driver’s or passenger’s perspective. These views and concepts not only take me to the edge of abstraction, but also awaken and evoke in me, a deep-rooted sense of comfort and isolation associated with childhood car trips. There’s a sense of being sheltered in a bubble, safe from the outside elements.