Although James Canning creates his captivating and quizzical pieces from photographs, it’d be a mistake to call him a photographer. The El Dorado Hills artist—whose work can be viewed at the Gold Country Artists’ Gallery—begins with a single image and then creates compositions from a variety of materials that are both organic and digitally altered. What emerges is a piece that stops its viewer in their tracks and asks them to take another look, then another, and to keep looking.      

HLB: How do you create your pieces? 

JC: I love the patterns in nature and how related patterns appear across widely differing parts of the universe. Each of my pieces utilizes a number of photographs, which I modify for color, shape, size or some other characteristic. On my computer, I work them together—according to the theme for the piece—although the result is nothing like a traditional collage. I use a digital brush to paint in, or remove, detail.  

HLB: How’d you get started?  

JC: I started drawing and painting around the age of 13 and just loved it—most of my teenage angst went into art instead of something less fulfilling. My mother encouraged me with her love of art, which helped. My dad then gave me a camera and darkroom equipment, and I’ve loved photography ever since.

 

HLB: What inspires you? 

JC: Surrealism has always delighted me, along with any detailed, realistic technique—from painting and drawing to printmaking. 

 

HLB: What’s your best tip? 

JC: Try lots of different mediums. Work at developing technique, not producing finished pieces, as the polish will come later. Go to museums and galleries—don’t just browse the Internet—since art is always better in person. Spend time with people who enjoy art, including other artists. When you see a piece you love, think about what specifically appeals to you.

HLB: What’s your life motto? 

JC: “Life is real only then, when ‘I am,’”—George Gurdjieff. It’s very, very hard to live by but then, nothing good comes easily. Protect and feed your spirituality, and starve your negativity.

jamescanningart.com

by Heather L. Becker 

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