James Coleman (American artist)
Encyclopedia
James Coleman is an American
painter who has worked for Disney as a background artist
on numerous animated features. In 1991, after twenty-two years working for Disney, James left to pursue the true passion in his life, fine art.
. His first job at Disney Studios was one his mother, a secretary there, got for him. It was in the mailroom...but it was a paycheck, and eventually led him to meet the right people.
His big break came when he entered a painting in the Disney Studio Art Show. A man named Ken Anderson
, a top artist and story man for Disney, saw his potential and encouraged James to go into animation background painting. This landed him his first gig as a background painter on Disney's "The Rescuers
".
Coleman's career took off after that:
Well, it led to a career spanning nearly three decades and more than 25 films. But Coleman's true passion always laid in Fine Art
, and he eventually left Disney in order to pursue this field full time. He likens this life changing decision to a window needing to be opened:
However, James couldn't stay away from Disney for too long. Eventually he found himself mixing fine art with those all too familiar Disney Characters he had worked alongside for so many years.
"One of the teachers said he was going to take us into his studio and show us a brush stroke he had worked his whole life to invent. I just looked at this guy and said to myself: 'This is a bunch of nonsense!' I realized he was intellectualizing something that, in my mind, was a spiritual thing. Painting isn't an intellectual study . . . it comes from the heart."
"Basically, I see something, store it in my mind and study it. Then, when I get back to the studio, it just comes out . . . Everything we see is imprinted in our brain. And if we're able to connect with those images, we can call them back and use them."
"I can remember Walt Disney getting the Academy Award for Mary Poppins
and thinking, 'That's what I want to do someday...'"
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
painter who has worked for Disney as a background artist
Background artist
A background artist or sometimes called a background stylist or background painter is one who is involved in the process of animation who establishes the color, style, and mood of a scene drawn by an animation layout artist. The methods used can either be through traditional painting or by digital...
on numerous animated features. In 1991, after twenty-two years working for Disney, James left to pursue the true passion in his life, fine art.
Biography
James Coleman was born in Hollywood, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. His first job at Disney Studios was one his mother, a secretary there, got for him. It was in the mailroom...but it was a paycheck, and eventually led him to meet the right people.
His big break came when he entered a painting in the Disney Studio Art Show. A man named Ken Anderson
Ken Anderson (animator)
Ken "Kenneth B." Anderson was an art director, writer, and animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios for 44 years.Anderson studied architecture at the University of Washington, graduating with a B.Arch. in 1934...
, a top artist and story man for Disney, saw his potential and encouraged James to go into animation background painting. This landed him his first gig as a background painter on Disney's "The Rescuers
The Rescuers
The Rescuers is a 1977 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on June 22, 1977. The 23rd film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is about the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization headquartered in New York and shadowing...
".
Coleman's career took off after that:
"This was a major event for me. At first, I didn't realize just how major it was. But it literally changed my life. I had no idea what it would lead to."
Well, it led to a career spanning nearly three decades and more than 25 films. But Coleman's true passion always laid in Fine Art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
, and he eventually left Disney in order to pursue this field full time. He likens this life changing decision to a window needing to be opened:
"Windows can be intimidating because you don't know what's out there. But once you step through it, you're faced with this enormous amount of possibility. I never liked looking at windows directly, because once I see one, I have to go through it."
However, James couldn't stay away from Disney for too long. Eventually he found himself mixing fine art with those all too familiar Disney Characters he had worked alongside for so many years.
Selected filmography
| Film | Year | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| The Swan Princess The Swan Princess The Swan Princess is a 1994 American animated film based on the ballet "Swan Lake". Starring the voice talents of Jack Palance, John Cleese, Steven Wright, and Sandy Duncan, the film is directed by a former Disney animation director, Richard Rich, with a music score by Lex de Azevedo... |
1994 | Art Director |
| Beauty and the Beast Beauty and the Beast (1991 film) Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirtieth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and the third film of the Disney Renaissance period... |
1991 | Background Artist |
| The Rescuers Down Under The Rescuers Down Under The Rescuers Down Under is a 1990 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution on November 16, 1990... |
1990 | Background Artist |
| The Little Mermaid The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" is a popular fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen about a young mermaid willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince... |
1989 | Background Artist |
| The Great Mouse Detective The Great Mouse Detective The Great Mouse Detective is a 1986 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, originally released to movie theaters on July 2, 1986 by Walt Disney Pictures... |
1986 | Color Stylist |
| Mickey’s Christmas Carol Mickey's Christmas Carol Mickey's Christmas Carol is a 1983 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution Company. It was directed and produced by Burny Mattinson... |
1983 | Background Artist |
| The Fox and the Hound The Fox and the Hound (film) The Fox and the Hound is a 1981 animated feature loosely based on the Daniel P. Mannix novel of the same name, produced by Walt Disney Productions and released in the United States on July 10, 1981... |
1981 | Color Stylist |
| The Rescuers The Rescuers The Rescuers is a 1977 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on June 22, 1977. The 23rd film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is about the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization headquartered in New York and shadowing... |
1977 | Background Stylist |
Personal quotes
- (On his short stint at art school)
"One of the teachers said he was going to take us into his studio and show us a brush stroke he had worked his whole life to invent. I just looked at this guy and said to myself: 'This is a bunch of nonsense!' I realized he was intellectualizing something that, in my mind, was a spiritual thing. Painting isn't an intellectual study . . . it comes from the heart."
- (On his Process)
"Basically, I see something, store it in my mind and study it. Then, when I get back to the studio, it just comes out . . . Everything we see is imprinted in our brain. And if we're able to connect with those images, we can call them back and use them."
- (On Disney)
"I can remember Walt Disney getting the Academy Award for Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins (film)
Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
and thinking, 'That's what I want to do someday...'"