Written by Dawn Tyson
International award winning artist and designer of the first United States Postal Stamp for the Kwanzaa holiday, Synthia SAINT JAMES celebrates 45 years as a Professional Visual Artist with her 2014-2015 The Creative World of Synthia SAINT JAMES College and University Tour.
The tour which includes lectures, workshops, master classes, commencement speeches, artist-in-residencies, exhibitions and commissioned signature paintings kicked off at HBCU Alabama State University unveiling the commissioned painting for the newly elected president and first female president Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd followed by the unveiling of “Bennett Belles” at the formal install of Dr. Rosalind Fuse-Hall, 17th President of Bennett College in Greensboro, NC.
Synthia SAINT JAMES artwork has been described as “ebullient”, “bold”, “creates paintings that remind one of Matisse cutouts in their clear line and intense color” and “joyful”.
SAINT JAMES, a self-taught artist and popular speaker, credits the creator and her ancestry (which includes African American, Native American, Haitian and German Jew) for her artistic gifts. SAINT James has been painting since she was five. “I am a self-taught artist. I paint from my heart. I do an extensive amount of research. It’s always wonderful when my work is received well, but that’s not
why I paint. It’s totally a personal thing for me. I don’t paint to please. My talent is definitely a gift from the Creator and you don’t want to mess with that. It is an honor for me to have Bennett College as part of the celebration of my 45th year as a professional artist,” she said. “I sold my first painting when I was twenty.”
Image Source: “Bennett Belles” by Synthia Saint James
