Member Profile - James Coe

Society Of Animal Artists Member Profile

James Coe

Signature Member, Board Member

Oil Painter, USA

Growing up in the suburbs of New York City, he was fascinated early on by the egrets and shorebirds he noticed in nearby salt marshes, and he taught himself to identify the birds he spotted around town. He began to paint as a teen when he and a friend set out to compile a guide to the local birds.

Jim went on to Harvard, where he earned a degree in biology (with the goal of becoming an ornithologist), but received little formal training in art until he attended Parson's School of Design in New York as a graduate student.

Immediately after earning his master's degree at Parson's Jim shifted gears and immersed himself in the art of field guide illustration. He contributed work to several books, including the recently reissued Easy Bird Guide: West, and Birds of New Guinea, and to Frank Gill's classic college textbook Ornithology. But he is best known as the author and illustrator of the acclaimed Golden Field Guide Eastern Birds, first published in 1994, and reissued in 2001 by St. Martin's Press.

Finally, after more than fifteen years of painting nothing but bird identification plates, each carefully rendered in watercolor and gouache, Jim stepped back across the divide into the world of 'fine' art, and he turned his attention to painting landscapes in plein air. He found that many of the skills needed to capture the fleeting light and dynamic conditions of the landscape are analogous to those he had previously developed for sketching an active bird as it foraged or preened. Both rely on careful observation, practiced visual memory, speed, and instinct. But the vigor and physical energy that it takes to dash a quick field study in oil paints were new to Jim's work at that time, and they clearly helped shape his approach to painting.

James was Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's prestigious "Birds in Art" 2011 32nd Master Wildlife Artist. Jim also shows in most of the annual exhibitions hosted by the Bennington Center for the Arts; in 2009 he was the grand prize winner of their inaugural Laumeister Fine Art Competition. And in the fall of 2011, his membership status with the prestigious Oil Painters of America was promoted to Signature Member.

http://jamescoe.com/

James Coe is Woodson's 2011 Master artist!

 James Coe selected as the
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's 32nd Master artist

James Coe

We are proud to announce that Society of Animal Artists Signature Member James Coe has been selected as the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s 2011 Master Artist and will be honored during the Museum’s 36th annual Birds in Art this fall. James has been a member of SAA since 2003 and has served on the Executive Board since 2009. An award-winning artist, he received the Hiram Blavelt Purchase Award in 2006, the Award of Excellence in 2008 and the “Western Art Collector” award in 2010.

James Coe, Last Light, Potic Creek, 2007, Oil on Belgian linen

“Jim Coe is an outstanding painter that goes beyond capturing the essence of wild fowl and landscapes. With his painterly style, he creates a mood and a genuine atmosphere. Jim is ‘an artist’s artist’.  He is invaluable on the SAA Executive Board, as he never fails to bring a thoughtful and intellectual presence to the meetings, and I value his wise counsel on various issues. His contribution to promoting the concept of excellence in the genre of animal art is significant, and he is the ideal selection for this year’s Master Artist at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson’s Birds in Art Exhibition.”  – Diane Mason, President Society of Animal Artists

James Coe, Mill Pond Geese, 2006, Oil on Belgian linen

As the Woodson’s 32nd Master Artist, Coe’s work reflects a synthesis of two styles, weaving his insight and skill as a trained naturalist into fresh, deftly painted landscapes. Coe first became enamored with egrets and shorebirds that flocked to salt marshes near his suburban New York City boyhood home. After working for years as a field guide illustrator, he ventured into the art world and began painting landscapes en plein air.

For more information, check out the official announcement from Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum.

(rc)