About Dwayne R. James

Watercolour artist and author Dwayne James has a passion for creating art and stories that are uniquely, and often unapologetically, Canadian. Now living in the Chester Basin, Nova Scotia area, he has been feverishly living a creatively-driven life for the past decade, that is when his very forgiving family allows.

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Dwayne studied archaeology in University which is how he learned to write creatively. “The most important skill I accrued in University,” he says, “was the ability to pretentiously write about myself in the third person.”

 

With no formal art training, Dwayne has always preferred the self-guided, experimental approach. In fact, he taught himself how to illustrate archaeological artifacts while completing his Master’s degree at Trent University. Said his thesis supervisor at the time: “There might not be much in the way of coherent theoretical content in Dwayne’s thesis, but damn, it looks pretty!”

 

Dwayne had played with watercolours a little in his life, but it has only been relatively recently when he truly began to experiment and develop his style. An avid paddler and wilderness nut, it’s natural that most of Dwayne’s paintings should reflect this passion.

 

After spending close to a decade as a technical communicator at IBM, Dwayne opted to look at their January 2009 decision to downsize him as an opportunity to become a stay-at-home Dad for his newborn twins, (as documented in his book Gingers & Wry) and pursue his painting and creative writing whenever they allowed him to do so. It is a decision that continues to make him giggle with wild abandon to this very day.

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About Dwayne's Art

Dwayne’s highly-detailed watercolour paintings have been described as “whimsical” and “unconventional” yet “absolutely authentic.” A self-taught painter, Dwayne is fascinated by both texture and dimension, and channels nature to create personalised images of a kind that would not easily be captured through conventional photography.

 

Dwayne seizes a moment in his paintings that shifts every time you view them. You may have seen watercolours before but, chances are, you have never seen watercolours like Dwayne’s.

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About Dwayne's Product Line

Although original paintings make up the biggest part of his product line, Dwayne also offers the following products featuring his unique art:

 

Signed Prints
Each print we sell is a high-quality, full colour GICLEE reproduction of a high resolution scan of the original. It is printed using inks that are guaranteed for two-hundred years not to fade, and has been closely inspected by the artist to ensure that the colours match the source.

In addition, all prints are signed by Dwayne, are available in a number of sizes with the matted options designed to fit in standard frames. They are then either placed in a polypropylene plastic bag or shrink-wrapped for a professional looking finish.

 

Greeting Cards

Printed on the same paper as our GICLEEs and using the same inks, these cards are suitable to frame and meant to last! Each card is blank on the inside, with details on the back, and packaged in a polypropylene plastic  bag with an envelope.

 

Stretched Canvas

Dwayne stretches all of the canvases himself with a wrap-around edge that is a mirror-image of the art. They are also available with a custom floating frame.

 

Framing

Dwayne does all his own framing, choosing mats and frames to complement the painting’s subject matter. Where possible, he also works with reclaimed wood and offers his own line of one-of-a-kind signature frames. He is currently offering four main styles of signature frames: oak, maple, pine,  and barnwood, but the selection varies based on whatever neat wood comes his way.

 

Mugs (Coming Soon)

Soon to be back by popular demand! We used to stock mugs, and they were very popular, but proved difficult to bring to artshows. People have been asking for their return though, so it’s time!

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Related Experience...

• Member of the Steering Committee for the Buckhorn Festival of the Arts, 2019.

• Instructor at The Art School of Peterborough, 2018 to 2020.

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Awards...

• Best in Show for Visual Arts at the 2018 Haliburton Art and Craft Festival.

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Previous Shows and Studio Tours...

Since 2011, I have participated as a vendor at a number of art shows and festivals around Ontario, such as:

• Artzscape by the Bay in Sarnia

• Autumn Treasures in Peterborough.

• Bon Echo Art Exhibition and Sale in Cloyne.

• Buckhorn Festival of the Arts in Buckhorn.

• Cobourg Waterfront Festival in Cobourg.

• Cottage Country Craft Shows in Peterborough and Lindsay.

• Haliburton Art and Craft Festival in Haliburton.

• The Hand of Man in Peterborough

• Kawartha Arts Festival in Fenelon Falls.

• Lakefield Jazz Art and Craft Festival in Lakefield

• Stoney Lake Art Show in Crowe’s Landing.

• Victoria County Studio Tour in Bobcaygeon.

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Dwayne's Display

For the majority of his shows, Dwayne displays his art on custom-built modular walls that are covered in a wire mesh and backed in burlap to reduce visual distractions. These walls are very versatile and can fit perfectly inside a standard 10 by 10 trade-show tent, or be reconfigured in a number of ways when more space allows.

 

For outdoor shows, he uses his own weight system (45 pounds on each corner) so that he doesn’t have to stake into the ground.

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Dwayne's Home Studio

Dwayne recently reconfigured and renovated the existing shed attached to the back of his garage into an art and framing studio. Although there is still some work to be done, the new space (conveniently separated from the workshop by a wall of old windows with hanging doors that slide to the side), is already the ideal creative space!

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