Making a promise on a billboard . . .

Early in 2009, frustrated by a busy schedule that permited little time for painting, James made a public pronouncement of his intention to to pick up his brush--designing an ad for the whole world to see on a billboard in west Rapid City near Baken Park. True to his word, he managed to complete two large oil paintings just in time for his exhibition at the South Dakota State Art Museum in Brookings, which ran from April to August.

James and the Giant Painting

A deal's a deal! Way back in 2006, James Van Nuys met FACES Magazine publisher and editor Beth Palmer when a mutual friend (John Humphrey of Blue Dog Framers and Gallery in Lead) encouraged James to contact Beth about writing for the magazine. The short version of the story is that James landed on the cover of FACES (Winter '07--he works fast! And for the record, co-publisher/sister Ann Henrichsen questioned the wisdom of this....) and the two struck a deal: Beth would help James market his art and James would paint a large painting for the Palmer family's music room. Beth's master marketing plan for the talented and prolific artist culminated in James Van Nuys Gallery, which opened its doors on James' birthday, July 12, 2007. Three years later, James--truly a man of his word--has started on the long-awaited masterpiece. The setting of the painting, appropriately, is an area south of Kadoka in the Badlands where Beth and Ann grew up (off Highway 73 near the Pettyjohn/Prang place). In this video clip, James begins the long process of building the 70" by 96" panel.

James Van Nuys Paints Black Hills Skies

Late summer is the perfect time to start a James Van Nuys Gallery blogsite! This is the time of year James like to head out to the prairie with his canvas and paints.