The beaver is a proud and noble animal

Tim Shumate is a 30-year-old Chicago-based artist with a degree in Editiorial Illustration from American Academy of Art, as well as a few years of Graphic Design from Illinois Institute of Art. He currently works as an Art Director at a Bradford Exchange designing sculptures and collectibles. Tim also works as a freelance tattoo design artist and illustrator by commission. 

Paul James is a leading contemporary animal and landscape realist painter renowned for the skill and craftsmanship with which he depicts the fine detail and realism of the many textures portrayed within his imagery. He is an exceptionally gifted and uniquely different animal and landscape artist. Currently residing in Southern Ireland, he was born and grew up in Leicestershire and his artistic and musical abilities were apparent from childhood.

Essentially self-taught, Paul began painting professionally in 1986. It was the haunting beauty of Charnwood forest that greatly influenced his early atmospheric landscapes (a trade mark that continues to this day). Paul has become renowned for this together with his animal portraiture and has perfected a style of his own. The originality of his compositions along with the attention to detail means that his works take time. Paul dedicates himself to each piece with a passion rarely seen in today’s commercial art world, insisting on the freedom to paint the subjects he chooses, which allows him creative flexibility and it’s this freedom that keeps his work fresh and current.

Although Paul continues to paint in fine detail he has recently given his pieces a more humorous edge, experimenting with perspective and size, thus creating a more contemporary feel. It seems that his ability to surprise, delight and push boundaries is limitless.