About the Artist
Meet James Robbins
My love affair with drawing started early—at fourteen, I needed a note of permission to attend life-drawing classes, trying not to blush while sharpening my eye for form, line, and the occasional awkward pose.
I packed my bags at seventeen and headed to London, England, for four years of fine art study. I landed in the heart of art history: galleries, museums, architecture. Sensory overload doesn’t begin to cover it—it was invaluable.
On the strength of my portfolio, I became the youngest student ever admitted to the prestigious Byam Shaw School of Art. There, I earned the London Diploma of Art and Design (with credit) and the Byam Shaw Diploma of Fine Art. Four intense years of painting, drawing, and sculpting every day—and most nights. Sleep was optional; obsession was mandatory.
Summers brought me back to Canada for wildlife drawing and painting at the Okanagan Game Farm in Penticton, BC, under the experienced tutelage of Canadian wildlife artist Clarence Tillenius. Those sessions in the field, sketching animals up close, locked in my lifelong passion for wildlife art.
After my college years in London, I veered into television and film, ultimately becoming a production designer. The gigs paid the bills, honed my storytelling eye, and let me keep painting between projects. That narrative bent still shows up in my work today—I can’t help but inject drama and story into a single image. One frame, one moment, but with a whole tale behind it.
These days, I focus on custom portraits—people, pets, narrative pieces and those quiet slices of life worth preserving. If you’ve got a story you want on canvas, let’s talk. 🎨
