James Shay

James Shay Description

The paintings of James Shay bridge the gap between abstraction and landscape. Working  from his studio in Lucas Valley, north of San Francisco, Shay employs evocative simple shapes and textured layers of color capturing the sensuous nature of  the rolling, oak-studded hills of the western landscape. His signature palette owes itself to a mastery of casein and tempera, giving the paintings a satisfying fresco-like matte finish.

James Shay was born in South Dakota. He received his Bachelor Degree in Architecture from Arizona State University in 1971. In addition he has studied with Jay DeFeo, Hassel Smith, Jack Jefferson and David Hannah at the San Francisco Art Institute. Shay has enjoyed continuous representation in art galleries in the central and western US. His work is included in numerous public and private collections.