James Asher approaches watercolor with a boldness and attention
to detail that is rarely seen today. A traditionalist, Asher is mindful
of the philosophy of being true to nature in the creation of his
work.
He attended Central Missouri University on an art scholarship and
graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree. He earned a
Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Art Center College of
design in Los Angeles, California.
While studying at the Art center, he developed a dedication to
traditional painting techniques. For a short while he pursed a
career in advertising, but soon became restless and returned to his
passion for painting. He moved to Arizona and saturated himself
with the lore of the cowboy and the Pueblo Indian culture. He
traveled often to Mexico and painted the markets there.
Then, in 1982, after a severe bout with an allergy to turpentine, he reacquainted himself with watercolor. As his interest in watercolor evolved, his interest in subject matter broadened. His first London show inspired his first large body of European subjects. From his studio in Santa Fe, he travels and paints on location around the world. Painting destinations have included France, Spain, Italy, The Netherlands, England, Chile, Kashmir, Mexico and the western United States.
His many exhibitions include The Gilcrease Museum, The National Museum of Taiwan, The Albuquerque Museum of Fine Art, The Montgomery Museum of Fine Art, The fine Arts Museum of Santa Fe, Artists of America at the Denver Historical Society and the Royal Watercolor Society of London.
Asher has been profiled in American Artist, Southwest art, Western Art Digest, and many other prestigious art publications. He has authored articles for the Artist's Magazine and Watercolor Magic. He currently exhibits his watercolor paintings at the Zaplin-Lampert Gallery in Santa Fe.
Born 1944 Kansas City, Missouri
EDUCATION
B.S. Central Missouri University, Warrensburg, MO
B. F.A. Art Center College of Design, Los Angeles, CA
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2001 
Zaplin -Lampert Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, “Venice “ 1980Trailside Galleries, Scottsdale, Arizona 1979Trailside Galleries, Scottsdale, Arizona 1978Far West Gallery, Palm Springs, California
TWO-PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2003Zaplin - Lampert Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, “Paris” 1998Zaplin - Lampert Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico 1991Zaplin-Lampert Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico 1989O’Brien’s Art Emporium, Scottsdale, Arizona 1989The Catto Gallery, London, England 1987O’Brien’s Art Emporium, Scottsdale, Arizona 1983C.G. Rein Galleries, Scottsdale, Arizona 1982C. G. Rein Galleries, Scottsdale, Arizona
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2006The Gilcrease Musuem , Rendezbous 2006, Featured Artist Bennington Center For the Arts, Bennington, VT, "Americans Abroad"
2005 American Miniatures, Settlers West Gallery, Tuscon, AZ Whistle Pik Gallery, Miniatures, Fredericksberg, TX
2004Gallery B, Lexington, KY American Miniatures, Settlers West Gallery, Tuscon, AZ Whistle Pik Gallery, Miniatures, Fredericksberg, TX
2003American Miniatures, Settlers West Gallery, Tucson, AZ 2002American Miniatures, Settlers West Gallery, Tucson, AZ 2001American Miniatures, Settlers West Gallery, Tucson, AZ Miniatures 2001, The Albuquerque Fine Arts Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico
2000Prix de West, National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Oklahoma City, OK American Miniatures, Settlers West Gallery, Tucson, AZ Miniatures, 2000 The Albuquerque Fine Arts Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico
1999American Miniatures, Settlers West Gallery, Tucson, AZ American Art in Miniature, The Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma Miniatures, 1999, The Albuquerque Fine Arts Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico 1997Artists of America, The Denver Rotary Club, Colorado Historical Society Museum Miniatures, 1997, The Albuquerque Fine Arts Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico Great American Artists, The Cincinnati Museum Center, Cincinnati, OH
1996Artists of America, The Denver Rotary Club, Colorado Historical Society Museum American Art in Miniature, The Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma Miniatures, 1996, The Albuquerque Fine Arts Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico Great American Artists, The Cincinnati Museum Center, Cincinnati, OH Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama
1995Artists of America, The Denver Rotary Club, Colorado Historical Society Museum American Art in Miniature, The Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma Miniatures, 1995 , The Albuquerque Fine Arts Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico
1994Artists of America, The Denver Rotary Club, Colorado Historical Society Museum, Churches: Symbols of Community, Albuquerque Museum of Fine Arts, Albuquerque Miniatures, 1994, The Albuquerque Fine Arts Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico American Art in Miniature, The Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma 1993Artists of America, The Denver Rotary Club, Colorado Historical Society Museum Miniatures, 1993, The Albuquerque Fine Arts Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico American Art in Miniature, The Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma The Santa Fe Watercolor Society, Museum of the Horse, Ruidoso, New Mexico
1992The Catto Gallery, London, England The Royal Watercolour Society, London, England Artists of America, The Denver Rotary Club, Colorado Historical Society Museum Miniatures, 1992, The Albuquerque Fine Arts Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico The Santa Fe Watercolor Society, Millicent Rogers Museum, Taos, New Mexico
1991Art and Artists of Santa Fe, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama American Art in Miniature, The Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma Artists of America, The Denver Rotary Club, Colorado Historical Society Museum Miniatures’91, The Albuquerque Fine Arts Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico Amarillo Rotary Club, Art MCMXCI, Panhandle Plains Historical Museum, Amarillo A New Mexico Tradition: Southwestern Realism, Taiwan Museum of Art, Taichung American Art in Miniature, The Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma 1990A New Mexico Tradition: Southwestern Realism, Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe American Art in Miniature, The Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma Gladney Center Benefit, Alterman and Morris Fine Art, Houston, Texas O’Brien’s Art Emporium, Scottsdale, Arizona
1989The Rio Grande Exhibition, Albuquerque Fine Arts Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico Amarillo Rotary Club, Art LXXXIX, Amarillo, Texas Nedra Matteucci Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico
1988 Fenn Galleries, Santa Fe, New Mexico Governor’s Gallery, Capitol Building, Santa Fe, New Mexico Driscol Gallery, Denver, Colorado
1987The New Mexico Tapestry Show, Albuquerque Fine Arts Museum, Albuquerque Art LXXXVII, Amarillo Rotary Club. Amarillo, Texas Nedra Matteucci Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico
1986Audubon Artists National, New York O’Brien’s Art Emporium, Scottsdale, Arizona Nedra Matteucci Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico Taos Art Gallery, Taos, New Mexico Settlers West Gallery, Tucson, Arizona
1985O’Brien’s Art Emporium, Scottsdale, Arizona Salmagundi Club National, Knickerbocker Artist Award, New York, New York Settlers West Gallery, Tucson, Arizona Texas Art Gallery, Dallas, Texas Trailside Galleries, Jackson, Wyoming
1984O’Brien’s Art Emporium, Scottsdale, Arizona Linda McAdoo Galleries, Santa Fe, New Mexico
1983C. G. Rein Galleries, Scottsdale, Arizona
1977Grand Central Galley, New York, New York
1975 through 1982Trailside Galleries, Scottsdale , Arizona PUBLIC AND CORPORATE COLLECTIONS
Gilcrease Museum of American Art
New Mexico Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM
Applewhite Mortgage Company
Arizona Bank
Blount Corporation
Columbia Pictures Communications
Curtis Corporation
Dobbs Management Service
Goodyear Tire and Rubber company
Owens Sausage Company
Sentry Insurance
Southland Corporation
Southwest Forest Industries
State of Arizona, Governor’s Office
Wells Fargo Bank
Valley National Bank
Western Savings
Senator John Warner
Allan E. Bulley
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Art of the West, March 2005, m”Pure Dedication” Myrna Zanetell
The Artist’s Magazine, October 2003, “Total Immersion”,Greg Schaber Watercolor Handbook, June 2003, “Painting Principles”
Artist’s Sketchbook, April 2003, “Painting with Monet”, Joe Anna Arnett
Santa Fe Living, Volume 6 , Issue 1, “Santa Fe’s Artistic Heartbeat”, Manya Winsted
Pasa Tiempo, The New Mexican, Dec. 2001, “James Asher’s Venice”, Teri Thomson Randall
Watercolor Basics, Watercolor Magic special issue. Spring, 2002,”Secrets of Breathtaking Texture,” James Asher
Prix de West Preview, June 2000, M.J. Van Deventer
The Artists’ Magazine, April 2000, “Brush Know How” James Asher & Joe Anna Arnett
Santa Fean Magazine, May 1999, “ Art Pairs “ Raquel Escamilla
Watercolor Magic, Summer 1999, “The Mirror of Water: Painting in Venice “, James Asher
The Artists’ Magazine, January, 1999, “ Tantalize the Senses With Texture”, James Asher
Pasa Tiempo, The New Mexican, Sept. 10, 1998, “A Shared Passion”, Lynn Cline
The Best of Flower Painting II, North Light Publishing Inc, 1998, Rachel Wolf
American Artists Illustrated Survey of Leading Contemporaries, American Reference Publishing Corp.
The Dictionary of International Biography, Melrose Press, Ltd
Who’s Who in Art, (29 th British Edition), Art Trade Press, Ltd.
Contemporary Western Artists, Harold & Peggy Samuels, Southwest Art Publishing, 1983.
Who’s Who in Art, (23 rd British Edition), Art Trade Press, Ltd.
American Artist, Fall 1991, Adventures in the Landscape, Stephen Doherty.
Southwest Art, Sept. 1990, James Asher, Joy Waldron Murphy.
Western Art Digest, Jan./Feb. 1987, James Asher, Melinda Elliott.
The Santa Fean Magazine, June 1987, James Asher, Artist, Joy Waldron Murphy
Southwest Art, Dec. 1980, James Asher: The Essential Meaning of the Southwest, June Dubois.
ORGANIZATIONS
Founder of the Santa Fe Watercolor Society
Board of Trustees, Chairman of Curriculum Committee, Scottsdale Artists School, 1994-97
Board of Trustees, Vice President, Scottsdale Artists School, 1996
TEACHING POSITIONS
Chateau des Arts, May 2005, En Plein Air Masters, mentor’s program
Pat Waymon Workshops, Dennison, TX, October 2006
Turning Leaf Lodge, Long Beach, Miss, October, 2005
Jackson Art League, Jackson Miss, March 2005
Art in Provence, France, July 2000
The Scottsdale Artists School, instructor, 1993. 1994 and 1999
Levine Workshops with The Scottsdale Artists School, La Rochelle , France, 1997
