Born in 1946, James began his adult life as a National Hunt jockey but radically changed to study painting at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin. Since first exhibiting in 1974, he has had a busy schedule of exhibitions, including showing regularly at the Royal Hibernian Academy, Jorgenson Fine Art, Dublin and in America and Europe. In 1999 he exhibited at the Lavit Gallery in the Thomas Ryan “Selected Exhibition”. Whilst known for his pictures of still life, he is also a landscape painter and shows strong brushstrokes in his technique, coupled with a delicacy in the detail. His work is in corporate collections in Ireland, Canada and the U.S.A.