James J Tormey

1938 - 2017
James J Tormey, NYC artist, passed away peacefully on December 3, 2017 at the age of 79. He was born in Brooklyn in 1938. As a young man he moved to Manhattan where he lived and worked for more than 60 years. He was associated with Gallery Madison90 for over 25 years and had 11 one-man shows with them before they closed in 1993. He then exhibited with Madison Avenue Uptown Gallery, until it closed in 2008. His paintings were exhibited in dozens of galleries around the country, in Germany and Japan and are now seen in numerous public and private collections. His work was also published as fine art cards, posters, and fine art Giclee prints. He pioneered the "larger-than-life" still-life with his work combining traditional subject matter with a contemporary interpretation that produces startling images of heroic proportions. Light reflected and transmitted lends the natural objects, which are the subjects, a quality which may evoke in the viewer clarity of vision and a delight in the forms of the natural world around them. His work conveys a powerful positive philosophy and he once said "I believe the only way we can come to terms with the world is if we look at it as it really is." He believed that artists should take responsibility for the meaning their works carry and stated that "there are definite ideas behind my paintings". He studied at Pratt Institute and Columbia University and worked in advertising and as a photographer before turning to full-time painting. He was pleased to leave the world over 1,000 completed paintings. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, a daughter, a granddaughter and a grandson.