NSULA- An exhibition of solo work by artist James Zamora, a member of Northwestern State University’s Department of Fine and Graphic Art faculty, will open at noon Saturday, Feb. 6 at RO2 Art Gallery in Dallas. Titled “Surprise,” the exhibition will feature abstract works, a departure from Zamora’s previous style of realism. The abstract art was inspired by the freedom of creativity he observed in his children. The show will open with an artist’s reception and run through March 6.
“Can my soul and technique play together? This question has been on my mind as I watch my kids think through the creative process,” Zamora wrote in an artist’s statement. “Every time a child draws, they tap into their own sublime so readily. Their soul has not experienced a statement such as ‘you are not good enough’ or more passively ‘Maybe try this direction.’ Although it is important in life to experience these ‘negative’ situations to experience growth. I spent the past ten years devoted to practice. I knew I was not good enough by my own standards, and I wanted to feel worthy by devoting time to discipline and the idea of practicing. Every person wants to feel like they have a place and find something to which they devote their lives. Then there comes a point where the technique is no longer discovery, and the idea of play intervenes in order to let technique discover something new.”
Zamora earned his BFA in painting and drawing from The University of North Texas in 2010, then an MFA in painting from Texas Woman’s University in 2015. His work is exhibited nationally on a regular basis and is in numerous personal and public collections. Zamora’s work has appeared in several publications including New American Paintings West #114 and New American Paintings West #126. Zamora grew up in the small city of Graham, Texas. His parents immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico in the 1970s. Zamora joined the NSU faculty in August 2020.
Ro2 Art, a contemporary fine art gallery located in The Cedars Neighborhood near downtown Dallas, represents a diverse group of emerging, mid-career and established contemporary artists – many with ties to the North Texas region. The gallery, founded in 2010 by mother-and-son partners Susan Roth Romans and Jordan Roth, regularly collaborates with organizations such as The MAC and Cedars Union and maintains an exhibition program within the Magnolia Theatre at West Village and other satellite venues. Ro2 Art has twice been named Dallas Observer’s “Best Art Gallery” and was presented with the 25th Annual Obelisk Award for small business by the North Texas Business Council for the Arts.
The museum is located at 1501 S. Ervay St., Dallas. Hours are noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Information is available at www.ro2art.com.
The Randy posting on this subject is not me. I always post as Randy Stelly! Peace!
We all know Randy is either the artist or his buddy.
I love art — the Old Masters the Impressionists and almost all of the other genres. But what I like is pretty much restricted to work done before the early 20th century, when Picasso and his fellows started to come along. Abstract art? Well,, maybe I’m too dense to get it, but sometimes it seems that the emperor really has no clothes on — that there’s nothing there. In the Houston art museum they have (or had, a few years ago) a canvas that is just totally white — nothing else. And the guard told me it was worth $1 million. Hey, I could have done that piece!
No you couldn’t Joe, first you would have to understand it, why it was done and what it was saying. Art is about the perpetuation of ideas, the exploration of free expression and the connectedness of the soul to the physical world. Sure it can be about beauty and capturing what is in the world, but the evolution and availability of the camera and cell phone makes the limited part of the dialogue that you claim to appreciate serve a completely different purpose than it once did. You would probably appreciate his other hyper-realistic work. This artist is very skilled and has an amazing body of work. https://www.jameszamora.com/
Randy, I think Joe was talking about the solid white canvas that was worth one million dollars, not the artist in the article.
Yes, I was talking about the white, blank canvas.
Joe, you could do it, but you could not have gotten that much money. You don’t have the right name. Sorry, sometimes the reply just hits me in the head!
Congratulations James. You are great role-model for our NSU students.
Dang. My 4 year old son could be a professional artist and he hasn’t even gone to multiple art schools…
Too bad his dad is too stupid to be supportive enough for him to have such a career.
Sick burn dude!
Thanks, check out his other work, he is an amazing artist… that is choosing to express himself this way…
https://www.jameszamora.com/
Talent is truly dead. Squiggly lines and acid trips. The blank canvas is representative of what’s between your ears. A bad mistake your daddy should have taken care of. He should have made art with you as a stain on a sheet.