James Penfield was born in St. Paul, MN in 1983 and is based in Minneapolis. He started showing work in 1999 at the MN State Capital and went on to study fine art and art history at UC Boulder and Hamline University, in MN. He was involved in the music scene in Minneapolis, designing album covers and t shirts, showing artwork and painting live on stage with musicians playing. After that experience, he moved to NYC to study graphic design at The New School in NYC, where he interned with Vice Magazine and worked in the city, freelancing as a graphic designer.
Penfield bases his work on phenomenology and how it relates to nature, location and the self. He started to show work in the Western US while living in NYC. He grew up snowboarding and traveling out west and lived in Boulder for a bit, before leaving involuntarily, so this all made sense. The first show he was accepted into was titled “Bold New West” in 2013 at the Abend Gallery in Denver, CO.
After leaving NYC he moved to Minneapolis to continue working as an artist and to be closer to the mountains to hike, snowboard and explore. His work is collected in public and private collections across the US.
“Penfield’s artwork features loose, painterly, gestural abstractions that capture the essence of Western mountains, animals, and cowboys. His dynamic brushstrokes and vibrant colors convey the rugged beauty and spirit of the West, creating evocative and expressive pieces that celebrate this iconic landscape and its inhabitants.”
-Veronica Vale, Gallery Mar
His work is represented by:
Gallery Mar in Park City, UT :
www.gallerymar.com/artists/james-penfield
Horizon Fine Art in Jackson Hole, WY :
www.horizonfineartgallery.com/paintings/james-penfield
Schoonover Gallery in Steamboat Springs, CO :
https://schoonovergallery.com/artist/james-penfield
Read an interview by Gallery Mar
Read an interview by NYC based art consultant company Indiewalls.com
Exhibitions:
2023 – “Gallery Mar 15th Anniversary Show,” Park City, UT
2022 – “LA Zoo Beastly Ball,” Los Angeles, CA
2021 – “LA Zoo Beastly Ball,” Los Angeles, CA
2019 – “It’ll Last Longer,” Gallery Mar, Park City, UT
2018 – “Windows,” GX Gallery, London, England
2017 – ”Looking In, Looking Through,” neo:gallery23, Manchester UK
2017 – ”Art of Engagement,” Touchstone Gallery, Washington DC
2016 – ”26th Annual Holiday Show,” Abend Gallery, Denver, CO
2016 – ”Love, SooVAC, Celebration of 15 Years of Art,” SooVAC Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
2016 – ”Art As Politics,” Touchstone Gallery, Washington D.C.
2016 – ”MN Vikings Permanent Collection,” U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
2014 – ”Make the Machine Feel Human,” Soo Local Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
2014 – ”3 Person Show,” Will Call Gallery, St. Paul
2013 – ”23rd Annual Holiday Show,” Abend Gallery, Denver, CO
2013 – “Parsons Alumni Exhibition 2013,” Aronson Galleries, NYC
2013 – “Art For Life,” Abend Gallery, Denver, CO
2013 – “Bold New West,” Abend Gallery, Denver, CO
2011 – “Skate Related 2,” XYZ Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
2011 – “Teenage Elixir,” Tarnish and Gold Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
2010 – “EYE Will,” Nicademus Art and Framing, St. Paul, MN
2010 – “MN State Fair Annual Art Exhibition,” St. Paul, MN
2009 – “Midwest Biennial,” David Hummer Gallery, Wausau, WI
2009 – “MN State Fair Annual Art Exhibition,” St. Paul, MN
2008 – “The Fall Collection,” 555 Studios, Minneapolis, MN
2008 – “Hot Off the Press,” Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Minneapolis, MN
2007 – “Intaglio Archives: Selected Student Prints 1972-2007,” Hamline U, St. Paul, MN
2005 – “Drawing Conclusions,” Offbeat Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
2002 – “Yo the Movement group show,” Calhoun Square Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
1999 – “MN Student Art Exhibition,” MN State Capital, St. Paul, MN