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James Bama has derived a great deal of joy from the friendships he has developed with many of the Native American subjects of his portraits. Years ago, he discovered that on a personal level, they are often very different from the confrontational image they often project. For example, Wes Studi, a full-blooded Cherokee, established an impressive screen-acting career with his intense portrayals of a Pawnee war-party leader in "Dances with Wolves" and as the vengeful Magua in "The Last of the Mohicans," yet Bama found him genial and obliging. During their visits to the Bama home, Studi and his children often spent happy hours playing basketball with the artist and his son. The cultural gap was bridged as two fathers enjoyed time with their children.
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James Bama was born in 1926 and grew up in the Northeast. He followed his
early interest in art through New York’s specialized High School of Music and
Art and the Art Students League. As a professional, Bama has earned a
reputation for several facets of his talent. He freelanced briefly before
spending fifteen years at the respected Charles E. Cooper Studios—at the time,
the country’s top firm of illustrators—and more freelancing followed. Bama’s
activities during this period were highlighted by artwork for the New York
Giants football team, the Baseball and Football Halls of Fame, the U.S. Air
Force and The Saturday Evening Post. Fans of pop culture may know him best as
the artist who portrayed Doc Savage on sixty-two memorable book covers. Then
Bama decided it was finally time to do what he most wanted to do. He moved
west to Wyoming, where an artist “can trace the beginnings of Western history;
see the oldest weapons, saddles and guns and be close to Indian culture.” He
sold his first Western fine art painting soon after the move.
The distinctive work of James Bama combines tradition with modern realities.
In his much-acclaimed studies, Bama shows the contemporary West preserving its
traditional culture. His portraits of inhabitants of the plains and mountains
capture the true character of the West.
Today the paintings of James Bama are part of many prestigious collections.
Bama has been represented in major exhibitions throughout the West and has
been presented in one-man shows in New York City. Bantam Books published The
Western Art of James Bama in 1975 and The Art of James Bama in 1993. Jim was
inducted into the Illustrator’s Hall of Fame June 28, 2000. Through his
portraits of real people of the new West re-creating their history and
heritage, Bama pays homage to the Old West and is renowned in yet another
realm of the art world.
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