James Chaffee Exhibition and Opening Reception

Join us for an evening of art, music, and fun. Opening reception for celebrated figurative painter James Chaffee. 

In the 1950’s, when Bay Area painters turned away from abstract expressionism and began painting the figure, it was not the figure painted by the old Cezanne configuration—using the figure as a pivotal character in a narrative scene—but rather, using the figure more as a compositional element or “spatial counter.” James Chaffee, an enthusiastic student of Bay Area Figuration, works with the figure in much the same way as these mid-Century Bay Area artists.

Born in Detroit, Chaffee studied art and design at Michigan State University where he earned his Fine Arts degree, with a focus on painting and design. In the 1970’s, Chaffee moved to California where he pursued graduate studies and taught art before embarking on a career in design and editorial art—first at The San Jose Mercury News and later at The Sacramento Bee. It was after several years, that Chaffee left The Bee to take on painting full-time.