"Buffalo Bill - 4th of July" James Bama Giclee Canvas

James Bama

James Bama was born in 1926 and grew up in the Northeast. He followed his early interest in art through New York’s specialized High School of Music and Art and the Art Students League. As a professional, Bama has earned a reputation for several facets of his talent. He freelanced briefly before spending fifteen years at the respected Charles E. Cooper Studios—at the time, the country’s top firm of illustrators—and more freelancing followed. Bama’s activities during this period were highlighted by artwork for the New York Giants football team, the Baseball and Football Halls of Fame, the U.S. Air Force and The Saturday Evening Post.

Fans of pop culture may know him best as the artist who portrayed Doc Savage on sixty-two memorable book covers. Then Bama decided it was finally time to do what he most wanted to do. He moved west to Wyoming, where an artist “can trace the beginnings of Western history; see the oldest weapons, saddles and guns and be close to Indian culture.” He sold his first Western fine art painting soon after the move.

The distinctive work of James Bama combines tradition with modern realities. In his much-acclaimed studies, Bama shows the contemporary West preserving its traditional culture. His portraits of inhabitants of the plains and mountains capture the true character of the West. Today the paintings of James Bama are part of many prestigious collections. Bama has been represented in major exhibitions throughout the West and has been presented in one-man shows in New York City. Bantam Books published The Western Art of James Bama in 1975 and The Art of James Bama in 1993. Jim was inducted into the Illustrator’s Hall of Fame June 28, 2000. Through his portraits of real people of the new West re-creating their history and heritage, Bama pays homage to the Old West and is renowned in yet another realm of the art world.

James Bama Giclee Canvas "Buffalo Bill - 4th of July"

Buffalo Bill is obviously a larger than life figure in Cody, WY and this painting is the result of re-enactor Charlie Evans from North Platte, NE appearing in a 4th of July parade. “Charlie was coming down the street and there was a group of children in front of me. He had stopped to say hello to them and they were just thrilled. The original Buffalo Bill probably did the exact thing on the same street 100 years before.”

For James Bama, moving to Wyoming from New York City proved to be, perhaps, one of the finest career choices he ever made.“I paint people,” says Jim. “When I first moved out here, folks were still alive that lived here before Wyoming was even a state. The frontier was still alive. I would go to pow-wows, rodeos, the reservations and even rendezvous to seek these people out. No one was focusing then on painting real people as I did.”

18" by 18" Image Size, Giclee Canvas, edition size 75, signed by the artist

All Limited Edition prints are signed and numbered (S/N) by the artist. Limited Edition prints are restricted to a certain number. For example, if 400 prints are made from an original painting, once they’re gone, that’s it. There is no limit to the number of open edition prints of a particular painting. That’s why Limited Edition prints are more expensive — and more valuable to collectors — than "open" edition. Rare objects are more valuable.

A giclée print is created with digital printers using tiny ink jets that spray microscopic ink droplets onto a sheet of canvas, creating a lush, vibrant and textured art print that has the look of an original painting. These canvas giclées need no glass in front of the image to protect it. The giclée is typically larger in size than the limited edition print and slightly smaller than the original painting.

All Limited Edition artwork is subject to availability at time of order. Although seller strives to remain currrent as to inventory, seller reserves the right to cancel a sale if item is no longer available at time of purchase.

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