James Eddy

James Eddy (b.1971) is a self-taught artist based in San Francisco. Drawing upon over two decades of experience as an art dealer specializing in folk art from the Americas, his influences range from retablos, exvotos, ledger drawings, proverbs from oral traditions to comic books, storyboards, and salesman’s samples. Expanding on the rich tradition of storytelling, Eddy has created an amalgamation of narrative tools rooted in the Americas to render events from his life, often casting himself as the protagonist.

Fueled by a desire to evolve beyond a conduit for the stories of others, Eddy began to share his own experiences, both as a catharsis, and as a way to commemorate their happening. The very artifacts he once sold, now served as muses, inspiring him to write his own stories and ultimately became interwoven within his personal narratives.

Through clever narratives, playful graphics, and employing the visual language of folk art, his work presents a personal exploration and expression or resilience in navigating the complexities of life’s tribulations and its rewards. Rendered in soft pastel and pastel colored pencil on cotton-backed aluminum oxide industrial-grade sand paper, Eddy has created a distinct personal style and narrative that is uniquely his own.