James Kroner b. 1978 grew up in direct opposition to his exterior world, it seemed. There was a stark contrast between his normal suburban lifestyle and all those inner adversities of a troubled youth. The two could not be made to fit together and this gave birth to a need, a need to write. By the time he was in high school he would sit for hours to write, page after page was written fueled by the blind enthusiasm to understand himself, thus carrying him through years of journal writing. The road to realization came from this ritual. Again he could return to the solitude and silence of the written page and find meaning within the throes of a world.
This same world held much visual interest and fascination as well. Kroner began studying art in his early twenties and eventually deliberated to pursue it over his longstanding study of philosophy. Something clicked for him while drawing a series of gesture poses from a figure modeling class, and it was from this click, that happened again and again which opened his mind to the path he would take.
During his MFA at the Academy of Art University S.F., James cultivated a powerful shift in focus driven towards self-development as a painter. He received numerous awards including first place for landscape painting 2010 Annual Spring Show, and a full scholarship to study in Italy for the summer of 2011. He has since exhibited his artwork in a large number of shows including solo shows and various group shows. He received the Emerging Artist of 2014, a Solo Exhibition through the Academy’s Atelier Gallery in San Francisco.
We see an incredible awareness of light and atmosphere within his scenes, glowing with an ethereal vitality as if actually alive and moving. From across the room his scenes take on a striking sense of realism in some areas while in others diverge into an orchestral arrangement of tone and color, dissolving away from form altogether yet maintaining a wonderful harmony as a whole. There is a vigorous presence, and a fragility, as if he took a risk within his process of painting. He says that “While painting I want to make a discovery, the process itself is an unknown and the viewer can also see this excitement within the work.” He is continually shifting his approach to fit with a result.
Exhibiting in numerous galleries for a variety of group and solo shows Kroner has already caught the attention of collectors and enthusiasts. This emerging artist shows a keen ability and growing reputation, looking to be just the beginning of a long, adventurous career.