James Mahemail: James Mah

My family emigrated from China when I was quite young.  We settled in Saskatoon, which I still consider as my home town.  I took most of my art instruction there and later in Calgary at the Alberta College of Art; still later, at the University of British Columbia and at the Vancouver School of Art.

Most of my work is two-dimensional:  I work in oil and watercolour paintings and in various printmaking techniques –monotypes, drypoints, relief and intaglio prints.

It i s very difficult to be a visual artist today.  I am not referring so much to the difficulty of just making a living with art (although that is a constant challenge) as to fierce and competitive nature of today’s visual world. We are constantly bombarded by visually sophisticated and carefully choreographed images from advertising, movies and the internet, some of which is very expensively produced (millions of dollars for a 30 second TV ad) and using teams of technologists and special effects wizards (one only has to think of the latest blockbuster).  In this cacophony of visual noise, it is an accomplishment for the visual artist just  to be “heard” by a jaded public.  The relative paucity of means at the disposal of the visual artist (pigment, paper, canvas) can be considered a blessing in disguise as it allows the artist to communicate his ideas in a simpler, more individual, and hopefully more satisfying way.  It is from this centre of individual quiet that one tries to reach out and connect with others.

If you are interested in viewing more of my work or seeing what I am up to, please visit my website at www.jameswmah.com.  I can be reached by email at jwmah@telus.net.