Meet James Zamora | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with James Zamora and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi James, what role has risk played in your life or career?
In the studio, risks are what drive my art practice. My realism paintings used to come with a lot of risks, for example, am I mixing color correctly? is my brushwork too busy? how do I make objects feel more realistic? After several years, I began to realize I was not longer asking myself those questions, and realized I had answered them. Once that is realized, the art needs to change in order to get better.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have two personas that I am continually working with to make more compatible. I have my realism paintings where I focus on creating paintings that really feel like the object, and then I have my newer series that I have been working on for a couple of years now where I do not refer to anything in this world. This is known as Non-objective Art. I am realizing more everyday that I am persistent in my practice. And that persistence brings out a positivity in my life. If I am working towards art making, I am making more positivity for myself. I hope that my production brings buyers definitely, but I recently noticed that even though all my realism paintings are selling, I didn’t want to do them as much anymore. Which is an irrational thought, especially when thinking about maintaining a successful business. I will make realism paintings because they have become my “side” gig. I love them, but they don’t stir a curiosity within me anymore. The new work does, and a lot of my studio time is set aside for the non-objective paintings and drawings.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I just moved to Natchitoches, Louisiana, so I don’t know much about this place either. There is a Mexican food truck here called Angel’s Tacos and Antojitos, and it is amazing. I am still discovering things in this quaint little city.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I had a lot of support in exploring my creativity when I was younger. Although I realized that I am a confusing person to other people, so I must have been a real puzzler to my parents on what I wanted to be. But I knew they acknowledged that I really like to draw. My parents put me in art lessons and let me do what I really wanted to do. I received a lot of encouragement growing up from other people in my life, but I never believed in what they were saying. Understanding myself took a while. I learned that art making wasn’t a “something” to me, it was my very being. I have to create, and I think the people in my life could see that in me.

Website: www.jameszamora.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jameszamora/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jameszamorapainting