James Bama

Art Brokerage: James Bama American Artist: b. 1926. James Bama is an American artist known for his realistic paintings and etchings of Western subjects. Born in Manhattan in 1926, he grew up copying Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon comic strip. He had his first professional sale when he was 15, a drawing of Yankee Stadium in the New York Journal-American. He graduated from New York's High School of Music and Art and entered the Army Air Corps, working as a mechanic, mural painter, and physical training instructor. In May, 1971, Bama connected with a New York dealer, prompting his decision to abandon illustration and put his total concentration into the creation of easel paintings. In Wapiti, James and Lynne Bama built a home and studio, moving into it when their son Ben was born in 1978. His work is collected in The Western Art of James Bama (Bantam Books, 1975) and The Art of James Bama (1993). Brian M. Kane's James Bama: American Realist (Flesk, 2006) has an introduction by Harlan Ellison. Listings wanted.