James spent his childhood surrounded by artists. His parents owned a stained glass studio in Southern California. His brother is a painter and musician. His friends are artists. He finds inspiration in everything from a crack in the sidewalk to watching his dog play in the ocean. In his mind, art is all around, it just depends on how you view what you’re looking at. James studied at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, taught and studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.