JAMES OLIVER

James Oliver is a painter whose precise visual language pushes the tradition of twentieth-century abstraction into a contemporary context. Oliver is a conceptually driven formalist whose work is inspired by his dreams and emotional states, which he abstracts into an undetermined and subjective viewing experience by emphasizing line, color, and form. Even as Oliver turns to a figurative practice in recent series, rendering cultural icons like chopper bikes, Pontiac Firebirds, and his childhood poodle in detailed line drawings, these representations similarly evoke broadly accessible affects abstracted from his mental landscape.

Professional Experience:

2006 - Present
Artist, Gallery Owner, Curator, James Oliver Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2003
Cover art, Puttin’ it Out . . . Live in Philly, James Oliver, FairWell Records copyright 2004

2001
Cover art, Why Not Mr. Everybody, James Oliver, FairWell Records copyright 2002

1999 - 2001
Freelance Interior Design, Philadelphia, PA

1995
Juror, Electric Lounge, Austin Acoustic Music Festival, Austin, TX

1992 - 1994
Arts Commissioner, Austin, Texas
Peer Panel Selector, Arts Commission, Austin, TX