Born and raised in Scotland, although I enjoyed art in high school I eschewed the opportunity to take it any further upon graduation. Instead it was the irresistible pull of the sea which would determine my future career. I worked as a deck officer for a cruise line for about 12 years before getting married and emigrating to Canada.
After gaining my commercial pilots license I returned to school to earn a diploma in geomatics and a job as a land surveyor.
Once again the pull of the sea proved too great and I returned to the offshore life, this time as a hydrographic surveyor.
Painting had pretty much been put on hold as we raised a family but following a major heart attack in 2009 I was advised to take things a bit easier by the cardiologist. That was the catalyst for a return to art that continues during my home periods today.
Steve James joined Fine Art America on January 1st, 2016.
