Capital City Arts Initiative—James Gayles: Windows to the Soul

Exhibition Dates: October 4, 2023 – January 25, 2024
Artist’s Reception: Wednesday, October 11, 5 – 6:30pm; artist’s introduction 5:30pm
Exhibition Venue: Carson City Courthouse, 885 E Musser Street, Carson City, Nevada

James Gayles’ watercolor portraits aren’t just real, they seem to tell a story.

James Gayles is an Emmy Award-winning artist and musician based in Reno, Nevada. Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Gayles attended Pratt Institute in New York, where he studied under renowned painters Jacob Lawrence and super realist Audrey Flack. He simultaneously pursued careers in both fine and commercial art. As a commercial artist, he established himself in New York as a graphic designer and illustrator, becoming Assistant Director of Graphics at NewsCenter 4, NBC-TV. For his work at NBC, he won a television Emmy Award for design and illustration. James is also a two-time winner of Art Direction magazine’s Creativity Award, one for the NewsCenter 4 logo redesign, and the other for an editorial illustration for the New York Times.

In 1980 he relocated to Oakland, California from the east coast and started working at the Bay Area News Group. He won first place for illustration at the California Newspaper Publishers Award. He has illustrated for McGraw-Hill, Random House, Essence magazine, Black Enterprise magazine, as well as several advertising agencies on both the East and West coasts.

James’ paintings have been exhibited in galleries in the Bay Area, nationally, and abroad. He has won public art commissions from the City of Oakland, the City of Richmond, and the Alameda County Arts Commission. He was honored to be one of the four artists portrayed in David Burke’s Love Letter to Oakland mural on 4th and Oak Street. His next Nevada show will be with the City of Reno’s Metro Gallery, opening late October, 2023.

This program is supported in part by Nevada Humanities.

Learn more: https://www.ccainv.org/gayles-soul-windows

Zora; 24″ x 18″; watercolor on paper, 2020.