James was a predominately self-taught artist. He had been drawing and painting from a young age and has taken full advantage of the rich visual variety of his surroundings, from the rural landscapes of the Adirondacks to the urban New York City. 

His creative path was more like a multi lane highway. It had encompassed a wide variety of creative endeavors that when totaled together explain why he is the artist he is.  He enjoyed painting his surroundings whether it be the rocky shores of Long Island, snowy Vermont mountains, or the early morning workouts at Saratoga Race Course.

James preferred to work from reality and believed in painting outdoors, no matter what the weather conditions were. Constantly changing his style, experimenting with many creative approaches such as impressionist, expressionist, and photo-real, James was always finding new ways to improve and explore his artistic vision.