JAMES TANSLEY

From his earliest days, Jim Tansley had a pencil in hand, saying “I would fill the back of my homework with drawings of World
War II airplanes and occasionally grotesque faces, much to the  

amusement of the nuns at Saint Petronille School.”  By his own admission, he was academically average while at the University of Illinois, but a dedicated student in his drawing and painting classes. A forty-year career in graphic design followed, during which he took sporadic painting classes at the Art Institute of Chicago and other venues, and art museums were an integral part
of his travels and vacations through
the years. 

Arabesque, acryiic on canvas, by Jim Tansley

Jim's retirement from the working world opened the opportunity to engage in drawing and painting more seriously.
“I asked myself ‘If not now, when?’”
In 2003 he rented a studio in the Fine Arts Building, and still works there today. A framed statement hung in his studio reads “Meaningful Work—Paid or Unpaid—As Long As Possible.”

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Artists often begin by imitating work that they admire, but eventually work to develop their own signature or stylistic approach. Says Jim about his own artistic trajectory, “After many fits and starts, I began to feel that intuitive abstraction provided the best possibilities. Abstract impressionism's great artists from Kandinsky to DeKooning have been a profound inspiration for me.” 

Jim describes his artistic process as an ongoing dialog between himself and the painting. "Without preconceived ideas I use random marks, color, and texture to provide a receptive surface. A long period of intuitive development follows; elements are added, some areas painted out, glazed over, or altered many times
in a search for an artistic statement. Suggestions of organic, natural, or evolutionary forms sometimes arise and I work for a sense of rightness and harmony. My best moments occur when I’m in a zone and the painting almost seems to paint itself."

Sforzando, acryiic on canvas, by Jim Tansley

He continues, "The onlooker brings his own experience and preferences to the piece resulting in sometimes surprising interpretations. Abstract artists soon discover that humans are hard-wired to seek recognizable imagery even in the most non-objective art. A line is read as a horizon, a circle as the sun, etc. There’s
a comfort zone in recognition. But the
artist may have other concerns, such as the emotional qualities of color transitions, contrast of line and tone, surface texture, symbolism, etc.
This tension between objective and
non-objective qualities provides the drama of artistic expression."

Garden Flow, acrylic on canvas by Jim Tansley

"Occasionally, when I return after being away for a few days, I react to my latest piece by thinking 'Did I do that?'

Gratifying when that happens. 

To see more of Tansley’s work, and to find out more about the artist, click here.