Art San Diego is returning to the San Diego Convention Center September 9-11, 2022 after a three-year-hiatus. Here at Art Business News, we will be showcasing this year’s Spotlight Artists. The Spotlight Artists are handpicked by Redwood’s curated group of art industry experts.

James Gage has been an artist since a very young age. He was featured in his local newspaper as a kindergartener for a sculpture he made in art class. From there, he enrolled in college art classes while still in high school to advance his career, and won two awards for his photography and painting skills.

From there, he understudied a well-known professional artist in his area and broke out of realism and into abstract. Gage has owned several startup businesses and began selling his work as a side hustle, the one consent in all his endeavors.

“Throughout my life, I have faced my share of hardships and struggles. I have always had an entrepreneurial inclination and have learned a lot. There came a point in my life where it was evident that I was on the wrong path and, at one point, I threw aside my career and went fully self-employed to figure out my purpose. On my mission, I came to the realization that I have a set of abilities that I am supposed to use to impact people. I believe that is why my art has persevered through all of my other business endeavors. I believe that fulfilling my purpose is to use my experiences, the lessons learned and my work to inspire and invigorate the viewer(s).”

James Gage, will be showing his 2022 collection, a celebration of organic elements and modern design. “For this collection, I wanted all earth tones, largely monochromatic, and the marriage of perspective and clean lines with organic shapes and textures.  The textures in my work are one of my favorite aspects. I paint a lot of my work in layers to create a final piece that the viewer can stare into repeatedly. I want my work to evoke a feeling from a wide view but I also want work that you can get lost in up close” says James.

He unveiled his collection at this July at Art Santa Fe 2022 where he was presented the award for Best SOLO Exhibit. “Since Santa Fe, I have been spending my time in the southwest United States, creating these new pieces and I cannot wait to bring them to California and unveil them at ART San Diego!

I feel so fortunate and grateful that my collection is so well received, it allows me to serve my purpose on this giant, beautiful rock. I am so happy for this opportunity to be selected for the Spotlight program and cannot wait to show what I have been working on!”

Gage will be exhibiting at booth #141. Tickets for Art San Diego can be found here.